Police officers have been cleared of accusations of abuse thanks to inbuilt recording machines on Tasers, Public Safety Minister David Burch said yesterday.

Sen. Burch told the Senate he's seen three videos exonerating officers accused of mistreating suspects while arresting them with the electronic controlling devices.

He said the authorities could be certain the first person caught by Taser-wielding officers was not actually Tasered because the device had automatically filmed the incident.

"As soon as the red dots were focused on him, he surrendered, so it wasn't actually discharged," said the Minister.

Sen. Burch said "irrefutable evidence" from video recorders was one unexpected benefit from the introduction of Tasers around four months ago.

He was speaking during the Senate debate on the Police and Criminal Evidence Amendment (No. 2) Act, which allows Police to keep suspects in custody while they wait for results from forensic tests and expert opinions.

Other Senators had raised concerns about the dangers of abuse by Police given greater powers in the fight against crime.

United Bermuda Party Senate leader Michael Dunkley said: "We need to make sure we do everything we can with checks and balances so we can limit any abuse of power."

Sen. Dunkley also said even with modernised legislation, Police need manpower to get things done effectively; he pointed to up to 17 outstanding murder investigations which "take a great deal of time and effort".

The bill means that, from next summer, the length of time suspects can be kept in custody without being charged will be 42 hours.

It was originally intended the limit would be set at 24 hours but Attorney General Kim Wilson explained investigators need a little longer to ensure they get all the evidence they need from overseas.

Currently the limit is 72 hours, but that figure is being reduced under PACE amendments to encourage officers to complete investigations quickly.

Under the amendments, top officers will have the power to increase the detention period to 66 hours on certain occasions, and another 30 hours on top of that on long public holiday weekends.

Sen. Wilson told the Senate more amendments to PACE would be inevitable as Bermuda is adopting a law used only in the UK. The bill passed with support from all sides of the Upper House.