Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis has revived a shelved bid to legalise the police use of tasers, ordering an updated study on the stun weapons five years after the proposal was dropped.

Speaking in parliament, Hartsiotis said he instructed the police chief to revise the study to establish a detailed and evidence-based framework for reconsidering the relevant legislation.

The move follows a question from Disy MP Nikos Georgiou regarding whether police currently possess such weapons and whether special legislation is needed.

Tasers are widely used abroad to incapacitate resisting suspects and facilitate arrests, particularly in violent situations or for crowd control.

Police spokesperson Vyronas Vyronos told the Cyprus Mail on Tuesday that the stun devices are “a tool used by almost every police force in the world,” that can immobilise a person from a distance if they are aggressive or holding a weapon like a knife.

“They are a better alternative to using a gun, where you’d have to shoot and risk killing someone, or a baton, which requires getting close,” he added.

Dozens of tasers have been stored for years in the MMAD armoury, but none can be used because the current law classifies them as illegal.

Under the Firearms and Non-Firearms Law of 2004, electric discharge weapons are banned, with penalties including up to five years in prison or a heavy fine. The law prohibits possession, import or transport of any device designed to deliver electric shocks or discharge noxious substances.

In 2019, the justice ministry proposed amending the law to allow police to possess tasers, citing their widespread use abroad to disperse demonstrations when public safety or property is at risk, Hartsiotis said.

The proposal was based on a police study of other EU member states’ experiences and was presented to the House legal affairs committee.

The effort ultimately stalled due to concerns about tasers being associated with deaths linked to electric shock, and the provision did not make it into legislation.