Posted by Kay on 14 February 2012
Mobile phones have become a way of life for millions of us, who carry them about on a virtually continuous basis and pull them out at a moment's notice to stay in touch with friends and colleagues or to complete ordinary tasks, such as adding up a series of prices. The very ubiquity of mobile phones, however, may now pose a significant challenge to police forces in the country as a new danger to the public and to law enforcement emerges: stun guns disguised to look like mobile handsets.
The devices can deliver a charge of up to a million volts, making them stronger weapons than the taser units in use by police forces. According to current estimates, at least 10,000 such devices are in circulation in the UK, with many of them thought to be located in prisons, where they are smuggled in so that inmates can attack either each other or prison officials.
These devices are illegal in the UK, but that does not mean that none of them get past the border authorities on the lookout for such contraband. They are typically sold via online outfits that may offer them for low prices compared to the amount of damage the devices can cause. Some of the fake handsets are on sale for little more than £15. The Ministry of Justice announced: "The gun presents as a regular mobile phone and, therefore, has the capacity to deceive, as well as cause injury."