Kingston’s police officers will not be allowed to carry 50,000 volt Tasers after the Metropolitan Police Authority said increasing their use had the potential to "cause fear and damage public confidence".
The MPA had only agreed to a limited 10-month pilot scheme across London at the third time of asking and Amnesty International had criticised their use.
Police officers believed they offered an extra option to reduce harm to suspects and avoid escalating violent conflicts.
But the MPA, which oversees the police force, and is chaired by Mayor of London Boris Johnson, rejected plans to extend their use across the capital, it was revealed today.
Tasers have been used to incapacitate suspected criminals in the borough five times, including the man who killed Sean "Stretch" Jenkins with a shotgun at a party in Carshalton, because officers thought he had an Uzi.
They were also used to free a kidnap victim.
Firearms officers will still be allowed to use Tasers.
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