The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has expressed deep concern over the pilot, which will be rolled out in Dublin, Waterford and Kilkenny.

Tasers will only be issued to gardaí with body-worn cameras, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has said.

However, ICCL has questioned the need for tasers, which it says can cause devastating physical injuries, psychological trauma and death.

ICCL executive director Joe O’Brien said: “Ireland has a proud tradition of over 100 years of unarmed Gardaí serving and supporting local communities.

“Giving tasers to frontline gardaí is a complete step change from that tradition and is being done at speed and without presenting the evidence which the minister and Garda commissioner feel warrants their introduction.

“At ICCL, we are unclear what precise issues the minister and Garda commissioner feel tasers will resolve, why they believe this to be the case, and how they will run and analyse this pilot project.

“News reports say that senior gardaí and Department of Justice officials want to determine how tasers work and how they impact the Garda’s relationship with the public.

“This research and analysis should be done prior to tasers being introduced — not on our streets in live situations.”

He continued: “There appears to be a pattern of government equipping gardaí with new tools on a pilot basis, then moving swiftly to a national rollout, without independent assessment of whether the tool is working to achieve its intended purpose.

“The body-worn cameras pilot has become what ICCL warned against — an opening to introduce new technology nationwide, without publishing pilot findings or carefully weighing up the evidence for and against.

“We in ICCL are clear: tasers are not the Christmas gift gardaí need.”