The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has started to trial the provision of stun guns, to officers.

This was revealed by the Commissioner of Police, Mohamed Hameed via Twitter on Tuesday.

As such, he revealed that the development has been made with the aim to further enhance and improve public protection as well as to ensure the safety of police officers.

The trial for the provision of Conducted Electrical Weapon (CEW) began as a force option, said Hameed.

An electroshock weapon, the stun gun or taser gun fires thin flexible wires that projects shock and it is a “smart and effective tool to de-escalate violence” that imposes potential harm to the public as well as officers, said Hameed.

The police commissioner assured the public that the force option "will be governed by the use of force regulations like other force options, with officers bundled with body body-worn cameras for increased accountability.

The Police Executive Research Forum report publicized by the United States of America during 2009 revealed that the use of stun guns will help reduce 76% of violence to officers in their law enforcement operations.