Use of force statistics for ACT Policing have reached their highest point in three years, as a rise in handcuffing of suspects offset drops in firearm and baton use.
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According to statistics from the annual report, the number of use of force incidents in the ACT, including conducted energy weapons such as tasers, rose to 1874 in the past year.
This was higher than both previous years, when 1785 and 1830 incidents were recorded respectively.
On Wednesday, Opposition leader Jeremy Hanson called for all frontline police in Canberra to be issued with tasers saying we should do everything to protect them.
The motion was defeated in the legislative assembly after the Greens combined with Labor to vote it down.
An ACT Policing spokeswoman said the rise had been mostly due to an increase in the use of handcuffs in the 2013-14 financial year.
"Crime is cyclical in nature and operational requirements may change in response to a range of contributing factors. Our intelligence-led policing model aims to ensure that ACT Policing remains agile to respond to shifting operational priorities as the ACT population continue to grow," she said.
Firearm and baton use have dropped by about 25 per cent over the past three years, while use of tasers has fallen slightly from 49 in 2011-12 to only 37 in the past year.
But use of chemical agents such as capsicum spray has stayed more or less the same over the period, while handcuff use has increased, from 1401 to 1509 in 2013-14.
The spokeswoman said a "use of force" incident could be any situation where an officer drew, raised or used their weapon.
"This include any situation where the officer uses a firearm, uses a baton against another person, uses a chemical agent against another person [or] uses an electrical incapacitant against another person," she said.
She said a use of force could also be when a person has handcuffs used against them or when a police dog or horse is used in the application of force.
"This does not include a situation when a verbal command is the only force used," the spokeswoman said.
Australian Federal Police Association chief executive officer Dennis Gellatly said it didn't take many instances of police using force to sway the numbers, renewing his calls for all frontline police to be given tasers.
"Tasers are an effective tool for resolving violent or potentially violent situations that police encounter and I'm sure from the perspective of someone who's having a moment ... if one of the last options is a taser they'd rather that than a firearm," he said.
