TASER usage in Cumbria increased by more than a quarter in a year, but remains half the national average.

Police officers deployed the electroshock weapons 114 times in the county in 2016, although only fired them on 16 occasions.

The figures show a 26 per cent rise from 90 for the year before.

Across the country, Tasers were used 11,294 times in 2016.

A spokesperson for Cumbria Constabulary said: "We make Tasers available for use by selected and specially trained officers in incidents or threats of violence of such severity that officers are likely to have to use force to protect themselves or others from real harm.

"We take the use of Tasers very seriously and have robust procedures to ensure it continues to be used only where necessary and justified in law to prevent harm being caused to the public, police officers and also to the violent person.

"By reviewing every use of Tasers we hold officers to account, and strive to ensure its availability and use is proportionate to the threats faced.

"The constabulary is content that Taser remains an effective means of resolving violent incidents, reassuring the public and protecting police officers going about their lawful duties."

The figures, released by the Home Office, show Cumbria Police at the lower end of the national spectrum.

Across England and Wales, police were found to deploy tasers 30 times every day.

In Cumbria alone, this was down to a rate of once every four days.

The vast majority of Taser uses nationwide in 2016 were non-discharges, with 96 of Cumbria's 114.

Red-dot was the most common type of use, accounting for 51 per cent of the total uses in 2016 with 5,744

This is where the device is not fired but deliberately aimed and then partially activated so a laser red dot is placed onto the subject.

In Cumbria, red-dot made up 57 per cent of the total usage.

Che Donald, lead on Taser for the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "There has been a fall in the number of times Taser was discharged, which demonstrates that each use of Taser is proportionate to the manner and threats faced by officers.

"This shows that by virtue of possession of a Taser, police officers are gaining compliance of members of the public. This is further evidence that greater roll-out of Taser across the service would be beneficial."

Policing minister Brandon Lewis said: "Taser is an important tactical option to help specially trained police officers resolve potentially violent situations safely.

"However, any use of force by the police must be lawful and proportionate.

"These statistics provide important insight into the police's use of Taser.

"But we're going even further, and from April 1 all officers will be recording who Taser and other types of force are being used on, the location and outcome of any incident, along with the ethnicity and age of those involved, bringing unprecedented transparency to police use of force."

Police in Cumbria first issued Tasers in 2005.

The new figures relate to use of the Taser X26, which will soon be replaced by a new device, the Taser X2.

The devices have been at the centre of controversy after a number of people died after being tasered.

Taxi driver Dale Burn, 27, died on August 16, 2011, after he was tasered four times in the living room of his flat in Hartington Street, Barrow.

An inquest ruled in 2013 that a designer drug led to the death of the dad-of-two.

Read more:

New two-shot Taser authorised for police use.

DEBATE: Should police officers carry Tasers?

<div style="margin:0 auto;max-width:100%;width:640px;" data-rid-id="95166"> <div style="width:100%;padding-top:110%;position:relative;"> <iframe style="position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:none;" src="https://www.riddle.com/a/95166?fixed=1"><section><h2>Should police officers on patrol be allowed to carry Tasers?</h2></section><section><h2>Yes</h2></section><section><h3>No</h3></section></iframe> </div> </div>