TASER use by Oxfordshire police officers has risen sharply, figures uncovered by the Oxford Mail show.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show deployments where an officer attended with a taser rose from 88 in 2008/09 to 116 and 141 in the following years.

And the number of times the weapons – which fire a 50,000-volt charge that temporarily causes loss of some voluntary muscle functions – rose from one to three and seven.

Most deployments – 88 last year – were in Oxford, followed by 24 in Cherwell, 18 in South Oxfordshire and 11 in West Oxfordshire.

Tasers were discharged three times in Oxford, three in West Oxfordshire and once in South Oxfordshire last year.

Thames Valley Police, who were among the first to trial the weapons in 2003, said incidents went up “as highly skilled authorised firearms officers are trained in Taser use”.

They are a “less lethal weapon” and the force said: “There have been no reports of fatalities that can be directly attributed to Taser.”

Their use has been questioned by Amnesty International, which said tasers should be fired in “extremely limited circumstances” where there is a risk of death or serious injury.

All people who a Taser was used against were either arrested or detained for mental health assessment.

In three incidents, tasers were used against a person with an offensive weapon, three were for mental health issues and two were at people who were self harming or suicidal.

One was for a domestic incident and the other for a “person known for violence”.

A dog was also Tasered in Oxford and the owner arrested.

Only authorised firearm officers carry Tasers. Five armed response vehicles cover the Thames Valley area around the clock and each has at least two officers with tasers.

Force spokesman Rebecca Webber said: “Taser is a tactical option that firearms officers are given and it provides an alternative for dealing with people who may be armed or otherwise so dangerous that some sort of force needs to be used.”

Labour Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “I think it is right the police have the means of immobolising people who are a real danger.”

And Graham Smith, chairman of Thames Valley’s Police Federation, which represents frontline officers, said: “Compared to America, where they Taser you for looking at an officer wrongly, the figures are really low.”

oevans@oxfordmail.co.uk