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The Z-Force Power Elektro Shocker may look like a battery-powered shaver,
but could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Two metal prongs on the front
are connected to circuitry inside which steps up the power from a 9-volt
battery to a potential of 80 000, 120 000 or 175 000 volts. The German
exhibitor is confident this will ‘go through clothing, even leather’. Squeezing
a trigger delivers the stepped-up voltage through the electrodes in pulses
of between 0.25 seconds and 5 seconds.

Although the current flow is tiny, the effect of such high voltages
is debilitating – much worse than grasping the leads that run from a car
ignition coil to the sparking plugs. These usually carry only 25 000 volts
but inflict a very unpleasant shock.

Although intended for self-defence, the Elektro Shocker could equally
well be used for offence. Dealers can buy them for a trade price of between
80 and 100 DM (under £40). The Home Office says the device would
be classed as a ‘prohibited weapon’ under the Firearms Acts, and that anyone
trying to import them would risk prosecution.

Doctors contacted by New Å®ÉúСÊÓƵ were concerned about the possible
effects of using the Shocker, even defensively, on people with a weak heart
or a pacemaker. ‘It sounds potentially lethal,’ says Julian Kenyon of
the Centre for the Study of Complementary Medicine in Southampton.