ILLEGAL imports of stun guns are in the spotlight after police revealed one of the prohibited weapons was used in a violent street attack in Melbourne.
There are fears the weekend robbery, which put a 37-year-old man in hospital with a dislocated shoulder, could be the start of a new crime wave as thugs exploit the availability of the electro-shock devices from overseas.
Melbourne youth worker Les Twentyman said a growing black market was emerging for such weapons as drug addicts become more desperate.
"It's a major concern with these kids being involved in robberies," he told AAP on Monday.
"Having a stun gun has become a fad. They're just getting them off the internet."
Melbourne comedian Richard McKenzie was jolted from behind with a stun gun in the city's inner-north as he walked home from the Lord Newry Hotel in Fitzroy North in the early hours of Sunday.
A group of men who had jumped out from a following car assaulted him and used the stun gun twice more before fleeing with his bag.
"My arms and legs just wouldn't work. I couldn't grip anything. I couldn't hold on to my bag. I couldn't stand up," Mr McKenzie said.
"They left me in the middle of the road and I tried to roll off into the gutter so I wouldn't get hit by a car."
The three men wore hooded jackets and there are so far no identified suspects.
Police say prohibited weapons can be purchased online from overseas and enter the country undetected.
"The use of Tasers for an assault like this is very rare," Detective Senior Constable Sean Schimizzi told reporters on Monday.
"It is rare, but we are very concerned."
In 2010, police in Victoria seized 200 stun guns, and South Australian authorities found hundreds more shipped from China and disguised as battery-operated torches.
"There is no legitimate use for stun guns in the community," states the latest Customs and Border Protection Service annual report.
Customs officials are forecasting a surge in imports entering the country, with sea cargo deliveries expected to nearly double by 2020.
Mr McKenzie said he was alarmed to learn stun guns were appearing on the streets.
"Give me a week or so to maybe get some perspective away from it, then maybe I could see something funny about it," the comedian said.
"But right now, I just hope to see these guys caught."
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