QUEBEC - The Quebec government is ordering police in the province to limit their use of Taser guns.
Public Security Minister Jacques Dupuis announced in Quebec City Wednesday he is immediately putting in place a number recommendations made by a task force on stun guns.
The new guidelines will force police to restrict Taser use to situations where a suspect's resistance poses a security risk either to the suspect or the officer.
Police will also be required to call for medical help if a suspect appears agitated.
The guidelines follow the release of a report by a Public Security Department committee which examined the use of the stun guns. The report contained 60 recommendations on how stun guns should be used.
It suggests, for example, that police plan their interventions carefully so the stun guns are properly used and note certain areas of the body such as the face and heart should not be targets of stun gun shots.
Dupuis' decision follows a similar move by the RCMP, which re-examined its own protocol on the weapon after the highly publicized death of a Polish man at a Vancouver airport in October.
Government records show that police in Quebec used a Taser 81 times in 2006.
There are 160 stun guns available for the 14,000 police officers working in Quebec.
