The Police Federation has called for a roll out of Taser devices to all front line officers.
Federation chair Liam Kelly made the call after as the PSNI released figures about the number of attacks carried out on officers.
Since April 2018 there has been a yearly rise in assaults with 516 recorded that year.
From April last year to date there have been 923 assaults on officers resulting in injury.
Tasers, which are described by the PSNI as Conducted Energy Devices, fire an electrical current into the target.
On Friday Mr Kelly said "assaults are now at epidemic levels" and argued tasers can be a deterrent.
“Taser is a proven deterrent," he said.
"It makes the would-be attacker think twice and in many instances, a violent confrontation is averted because of its presence, thus minimising the risk of potential serious assault and injury to our officers."
Mr Kelly said that Tasers should form part of "the toolkit for officers" along with firearms and irritant spray.
He said the use of Taser could prove less deadly.
"Taser is proven to work and is clearly a less lethal option than having to resort to the use of a firearm," he said
"In 2022, due to the level of the threat being confronted with, on 440 occasions our officers felt is necessary to draw their firearm."
Last month a report to the Policing Board recommended that the use of Tasers should continue to be restricted to specially trained officers.
It also raised questions around the need for all officers to be armed.
Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said on Friday that of six officers assaulted in Strabane, Co Tyrone, last weekend, three were female.
One of the female officers attacked, who has 15 years experience, said she has been assaulted around a dozen times, including being spat, kicked and verbally abused.
In a statement she said: "I would ask them to remember we are human beings as well.
"We have families too, and we're doing our job.
"We don't deserve to be assaulted."
Police say that in January alone 43 officers were assaulted.
Mr Singleton said officers face a range of complex scenarios.
"Unfortunately it’s not unique and, increasingly, we see our officers exposed to attacks, assaults and acts of violence,” he said.
"We are facing a different type of demand now.
"It’s no longer just conventional crime that we deal with.
"We deal with extremely complex issues, issues around vulnerability, which we are regrettably forced into trying to resolve. In doing so, at times, officers are exposed to serious risk.”
A spokeswoman for the Policing Board said: “Attacks on police officers are completely unacceptable, are condemned by the Board, and must be condemned right across the community."
