The BC Civil Liberties Association wants to know why Mounties used a stun gun to subdue an 11-year-old boy in Prince George.

The officers were responding to a 911 call reporting the stabbing of a 37-year-old man at around 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Police say the boy is a suspect in the crime.

The RCMP says West Vancouver police are investigating the officers' conduct, but have released few other details–including whether the youngster was carrying a weapon when he was Tasered.

BCCLA executive director David Eby says he finds the lack of hard facts troubling.

"When they skip information, like ‘Was the 11-year-old armed?' to us that's a red flag," he said. "That suggests quite possibly the 11-year-old wasn't armed."

Calls to the Prince George RCMP on Saturday were not returned.

Eby said it would take "remarkable circumstances" to justify Tasering a child, and that there are obvious reasons to avoid it.

"Obviously, officers are much larger and should be able to control an 11-year-old without resorting to Tasers," he said. "Also, we don't know what effect Tasers have on children. There's no research."

Public Safety Canada's guidelines for conducted energy weapons indicate Tasers should not be used "on a woman known to be pregnant, elderly person, young child or visibly frail person."

Eby says Thursday's incident highlights the need for civilian police oversight.

"Police officers are human; they're going to make mistakes, they're going to misconduct themselves. What we need is a robust system in British Columbia to deal with these problems," he said.

The stabbing victim is recovering in hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The suspect was taken to hospital for assessment, but no details on his condition have been released.

Last month, B.C. Solicitor General Shirley Bond announced that the province is drafting legislation related to civilian oversight of the police. She said a civilian unit to investigate cases of serious injury of death involving law enforcement will be in place by the end of the year.

"I look forward very soon to be able to post a job description for the executive director," she said.

Both Ontario and Alberta have civilian units that investigate police in serious cases.