There was widespread anger following the announcement that controversial taser stun guns were ready for use in Northern Ireland from tonight.
Amnesty International said it was deeply disappointed at the decision, Relatives for Justice said it was a black day for human rights and Sinn Fein said chief constable Sir Hugh Orde had chosen to ignore warnings about the deadly nature of tasers.
Even members of the Policing Board, which holds the Police Service of Northern Ireland to account, are divided on the decision.
Tasers are not being issued routinely to officers but only to members of the highly trained Specialist Operations Branch.
Twelve of the weapons have been issued to members of the specialist firearms unit for a six month pilot scheme after they went through a special two day training course.
The PSNI say tasers will only be used in pre-planned operations and to support officers in dangerous and difficult situations and as a lesser alternative to the use of live ammunition.
They are not for use in riots or public order situations - such as a drunk causing trouble outside a bar on a Saturday night, they insist. The PSNI is the last police service in the UK to add Tasers to their armoury - even the Garda in the Irish Republic started using them last year.
Assistant chief constable Roy Toner, who is in charge of the pilot scheme, said officers had been trained to the highest national standards. "I believe Taser will save lives - it gives the police service a greater range of tactical operations and actually advances human rights. "In situations where there is a real risk to life or serious injury to officers, members of the public or the criminal, taser remains a much more preferable alternative to shooting someone with live ammunition," he said.
Amnesty International's Northern Ireland spokeswoman Fionna Smyth said: "Amnesty is deeply disappointed that Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has chosen to press ahead with the introduction of electro-shock weapons in the face of opposition and advice from the Policing Board, the Equality Commission and the Human Rights Commission.
"Amnesty has consistently said that tasers should not be deployed on Northern Ireland's streets until more research is undertaken." Tasers, she said, posed a disproportionate risk to many of the most vulnerable - the pregnant, those with mental health or drug problems or those with heart conditions.
PA