But the suggestion has been rejected by Police Minister Simon Corbell, who said the government did not currently support any expansion of the use of Tasers.

The controversial stun-gun devices were first rolled out in the ACT in August 2011 and they are restricted to substantive general duties sergeants.

Mr Hanson said Tasers were a "non-lethal option" which provided a safer alternative to police who had to diffuse a violent or dangerous situation.

"We want to have other options available to police other than lethal force and I think that's good, no matter why someone is behaving in a manner that could put someone at risk."

Mental illness was a factor in at least seven of 11 incidents of Taser use by ACT Policing between January and May this year, documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws have revealed.

ACT Policing officers reported using a Taser to subdue a mentally ill man who allegedly attacked police with a molotov cocktail at Brindabella Park on Friday.

Mr Hanson said junior general duties officers were often the first police to respond to an incident and he was confident constables would be able to use the devices effectively.

"I think that we have a very well-trained police force here in the ACT and obviously it would be a matter of making sure the protocols, the procedures and the training is in place to make sure that the police understand when, and when they shouldn't, use Tasers."

Mr Corbell said giving Tasers only to frontline sergeants to support their on-the-ground policing was the right balance.

"That, we think, is a sensible, middle-of-the-road approach that makes sure Tasers are available, but not in a way that potentially can lead to an escalation of the unnecessary use of that technology," he said.

Mr Corbell said senior police were required to complete a course on Taser use as part of their training, which also focused on appropriate use of guns, batons and capsicum spray.

Territory police also undergo training on how to best deal with people who have mental illness.

An ACT Policing spokesman said police drew, aimed or discharged a Taser 37 times in the capital in the last financial year, two more times than in the previous year.

An expanded rollout of the devices to frontline constables had the support of Dennis Gellatly, who is president of the Australian Federal Police Union, which represents ACT police.

"That said, we understand why Tasers were introduced in the measured way they were," Mr Gellatly said.

"There's only one likely outcome with a firearm and that's lethal force, unless the police officer misses.

"The lethality of Tasers is obviously contentious but it's far and away safer than a gun."

ACT Council for Civil Liberties vice-president Tim Vines said Tasers should only be used as a "second-to-last resort" when police were at serious risk of harm and would otherwise reach for a gun.

He said police should used negotiation, rather than force, as their primary way of dealing with people who had grown aggressive due to alcohol, drugs or mental illness.

Mr Vines pointed out Tasers wielded by police had killed people.

"Our real concern is police really need to use their words, rather than their weapons," he said.

That position was backed by Simon Viereck,✓Mental Health Community Coalition ACT's acting executive officer, who said only a small percentage of people living with mental illness became dangerous or violent.

He warned against a "knee-jerk" reaction which would introduce more widespread Taser use or greater means of coercion.

Mr Viereck said the drawing of a Taser could appear aggressive to a person who was experiencing very intense emotions or psychosis.

"We should be focusing on teaching police to de-escalate the situation and get them help," he said.

"Because it's important to remember these are people who are not well."