The Independent Police Complaints Commission has ordered the change after monitoring the national roll-out of the stun-guns in November last year.

The guns can now be used by specially trained firearms officers rather than just firearms officers.

Normally forces would deal with complaints about use of force internally and only refer a case to the IPCC when it involves death or serious injury.

The new rules will apply from June.

An investigation by the IPCC last year found that the level of complaints about Tasers is low but most are about the use of the guns directly against the body. The watchdog has already recommended more training for officers in this area.

IPCC deputy chair and commissioner with national responsibility for firearms, Deborah Glass, said: "For police officers dealing with violent situations, there is no such thing as a safe option - all equipment carries risks.

"As the independent body responsible for maintaining public confidence in the police complaints system, we are monitoring the continued roll-out of Taser very closely.

"Our conclusion when the wider roll-out was announced was that the level of public complaints about the use of Taser was low, especially when compared with the number of instances where its use has saved lives or prevented injuries. But we are very aware that the use of Taser carries the risk of misuse, and the public will rightly be concerned about this. We have therefore asked all forces to refer any complaints about the use of Taser to us."

She said that the watchdog also wanted to encourage police forces to explain to the public when Tasers might be used and let them know that they have the right to complain.