NI Policing Board approves use of Taser stun-guns

The North's Policing Board has approved the use of Taser stun-guns despite strong opposition from the SDLP and Sinn Féin.

The board's own human rights advisors had also opposed the use of the weapons, but delegates have agreed to change their policy after seeing a draft report on the weapon's impact on the public.

This afternoon's public session of the body is likely to feature heated exchanges between the nationalist members and unionists who endorse the weapon.

DUP member Peter Weir says the guns are a valuable tool and can only be used when the alternative is live rounds.