HAMPSHIRE Police are set to receive dozens of new Tasers to combat crime.

The force will get 67 stun guns at a cost of £55,275.

Funds for the “vital equipment” were approved by the Home Office from a £10m fund from central government.

The allocation details follow a bidding process that gave all Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) the opportunity to request money from a dedicated, ring-fenced fund.

Of the 43 forces in England and Wales, 41 submitted a request to increase the number of Tasers available to officers.

The total number or Tasers requested by PCCs was 7,923 at a cost of £6.5m – a third under the total amount originally budgeted by the Government. The new money is intended to cover until March 2021.

Provision has also been made to support the training of Taser instructors with some £150,000 being allocated for this, with the remainder of the £10m being used to tackle serious violence and county lines drug gangs.

National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales John Apter said: “Taser is an essential piece of equipment which has saved many police officers and members of the public from serious injury or worse.

“I have campaigned for ring-fenced funding for more colleagues to have access to Taser and it’s refreshing that the Home Secretary has listened and acted.

It’s because of our lobbying that there will be almost 8,000 more Tasers available for my colleagues, this can only be a good thing.”

As previously reported Hampshire officers drew their Taser stun guns more than 200 times in 2018-19, up from 158 the previous year. Officers deployed the weapons on a total of 17 occasions.

The figures were released as the Home Office provides funding for an additional 10,000 officers to carry the weapons in England and Wales. Police chiefs and representatives for officers insist Tasers are effective at de-escalating dangerous situations.

The devices, which deliver a high-voltage electric shock, were also used to deter suspects.