A Welsh police force has agreed to trial a stun gun which is capable of delivering a 50,000-volt electric shock.

North Wales Police will become one of six UK forces to trial the hi-tech weapon for six months.

What we're looking at is police officers being equipped with the best equipment to perform their role effectively Sergeant Barry Jones, North Wales Police

The guns deliver the electrical shock via two darts which, trailing up to seven yards of wire, are shot at a suspect.

Five-second pulses of electricity sent down the wire are able to penetrate clothing up to two inches thick, causing the target to collapse with temporary paralysis.

The Association of Chief Police Officers wants to judge the effectiveness of the guns in the six-month pilot project to judge whether they should be issued to forces across the UK as a non-lethal alternative to firearms.

The guns are said to have no side-effects on the target, either immediately after use or in the long term.

North Wales Police became the first force to fire a plastic bullet on the British mainland.

Officers in Old Colwyn were the first UK police outside Northern Ireland to use the weapon when they shot Steven Myers, 30, during an armed incident.

Richard Brunstrom: Agreed to stun-gun trial

The stun guns are seen as a possible last line of defence before armed officers open fire.

The Police Federation has praised North Wales Police chief constable, Richard Brunstrom, for embarking on the pilot project which has Home Office approval and is due to start at the end of February.

Sergeant Barry Jones, assistant secretary of the North Wales Police branch, said: "He is constantly looking into the less lethal options in dealing with these sort of incidents and that in turn has an impact on our officers and should be supported.

Trial

"What we're looking at is police officers being equipped with the best equipment to perform their role effectively."

The other forces taking part in the stun gun trial are: Northampton Police, Lincolnshire Police, Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police.