NEW figures show another rise in the number of times police in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have used Tasers.

Officers deployed the high stun 266 times last year - an increase of 43 on the previous 12 months.

It comes just months after it was revealed that the use of Tasers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had already more than doubled.

But the latest figures again show that Tasers were only fired on a small number of occasions - 25 in 2014 and 34 last year.

Last night the Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said the statistics demonstrated that the weapons were being used in a “proportionate” way.

Chairman John Apter said: “Tasers are an important piece of equipment which help our officers protect themselves and the public.

“We know that in many circumstances the mere presence of an officer having a Taser causes an individual who is intent on using violence to moderate their behaviour.

“Following a campaign by Hampshire Police Federation we have increased the number of officers trained in the use of Taser. I welcome this but I want to see more officers trained.

“I know of many cases where officers have been saved from serious injury because they have had access to Taser.”

Last year police‬ in England and Wales used Tasers 10,329 times but on 8,408 occasions - 81-per-cent of the time - the weapons were not actually fired.

In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Tasers were deployed 266 times in 2015 but were not discharged in 232 cases - 87-per-cent of the time.

Last October it was revealed that the use of Tasers by Hampshire Police had more than doubled in a year.

In 2014 officers reached for their Taser 223 times, although it was only discharged on 25 occasions, according to figures released by the Home Office under the Freedom of Information Act.

The previous year Tasers were used on 110 occasions - but only fired 18 times.

Hampshire Police have not commented on the figures for 2015 but have previously described Tasers as an effective tool for resolving situations.