Frontline officers are being put at risk because Kent Police has not ordered enough taser guns to protect them, according to the Kent Police Federation (KPF).

KPF chairman Ian Pointon claims that out of 44 forces in England and Wales, only seven have received fewer than Kent. He said he was disappointed with the way it had chosen to roll the stun guns out.

Mr Pointon said: "We know that on nights there are only two traffic cars out in Kent. I've got a whole heap of examples from officers who are going to violent domestic incidents where knives are readily available in the home and they're saying to me 'we need tasers because we can actively and properly use that to subdue violent offenders'.

"I've got officers that are being injured, that are being cross-contaminated with pepper spray and also members of the public that that is happening to."

Mr Pointon believes patrol officers have been overlooked because Kent Police failed to consult with the KPF before placing its order with the Home Office.

He puts the decision down to a perception the public will be frightened by officers carrying the guns - a theory he believes in unfounded.

"History tells us - with the introduction of batons, body armour, CS spray and then pepper spray - that actually the overwhelming majority of the public think that if officers need the equipment to protect them and us then they're quite happy for us to have it," he said.

"People get used to officers carrying different sorts of equipment."

According to Mr Pointon, the decision by Kent Police to shy away from providing frontline officers with the equipment is detrimental to its position.

He said: "Kent wants to be in the top 10 forces when it comes to performance. It's a great pity that when it comes to safety it appears content to languish in the bottom 10, because we are in the bottom 10 when it comes to issuing tasers."

Kent Police declined to comment.

A 10,000-volt taser hits a suspect with a strong electrical current, which is within the tolerances of safety but incapacitates a person. The aim is to make them more liable to be compliant and arrestable.

Officers issued with the equipment is trained to a national standard and reaccredited annually.