OFFICERS working for the British Transport Police (BTP) in Scotland will today be given Tasers in response to the heightened terrorism threat.

However, Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur criticised the "rushed" plan and queried what he said was a lack of detail.

In September, the force announced that a number of specially-trained officers based in Scotland would soon have the capability to carry Taser devices.

An exclusive report by our sister paper Herald Scotland said BTP officers in other parts of the UK carry the so-called stun guns, but colleagues north of the border have not had the same power until now.

A letter from BTP Chief Superintendent John McBride to McArthur reveals Tasers will be deployed from today onwards:

“The training of BTP officers has gone well and to plan. We have secured sufficient volunteers to undertake the national accredited course for specially trained TASER officers and have had a good pass rate.

“This has put us in a position where we can now go live with those deployments. The first officers will deploy with the devices on Thursday 13 October.”

Arming officers with the high-voltage devices followed discussions with Police Scotland and Scottish Ministers were briefed on last month's decision.

Glasgow Times:

Picture: BTP officers this morning carrying Tasers (Copyright: BTP)

McArthur expressed concern about the move: "Police officers need to have the tools to keep us safe but the way this announcement was rushed out at the last minute will raise eyebrows. This is a major change and it needed to be scrutinised properly.

“Instead we find that tasers are to appear on our railways a matter of hours after this is confirmed by BTP. We still have no idea where they will be deployed or on which routes. This is not the way to build public confidence."

Control of railway policing was devolved to Holyrood, under the latest tranche of powers to be transferred from Westminster.

The Scottish Government wants BTP to be integrated with Police Scotland, but Opposition politicians are against the plan.