HAMPSHIRE'S Police Federation chief has said he would not want to see officers carry stun guns routinely on the streets of the county.

Steve Price, chairman of Hampshire Police Federation - the body that represents rank and file officers - said he thought the county would be reluctant to adopt stun guns.

The comments comes after a national survey by the magazine Police Review revealed that 80 per cent of police officers were in favour of carrying the Tazer stun guns.

But Mr Price said he could not see it being universally welcomed in the county.

"In Hampshire we have always been a lot more traditional when it comes to the uniform of police officers," he said.

"I would think we would be reluctant to carry the stun guns on the streets routinely.

"I think the better option would be to have them accessible to officers who needed them in certain situations.

"They are a great piece of kit for protecting the safety of the public and officers, but I wouldn't say Hampshire would be keen to see them issued to all officers."

The issue will be debated at the Police Federation conference being held this week.

At present, only authorised firearms officers are allowed to use the weapons as an alternative to conventional guns.

The US-manufactured stun guns - which fire darts to deliver a 50,000 volt shock - are already in use by 15 forces in England and Wales. The Police Review poll also said 58 per cent of the public wanted to see Tasers deployed.