Winnipeg police have again lost a Taser cartridge such as this one. (Taser International)

Winnipeg police are once again searching for a lost Taser cartridge.

The device became dislodged from an officer's belt sometime between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m on Monday in the city's northwest section.

The stun gun itself was not lost but the cartridge, an approximately 1.5-square-inch device, contains the probe wires for the gun.

Police urge anyone who finds it to not pick it up. If placed in a pocket, for instance, a buildup of static could activate it, causing the electric probes to be propelled.

Two cartidges were lost earlier this year. And last year the police service issued warnings on five occasions for lost cartridges.

This is the eighth time in two years that officers have lost one of the cartridges. And in October, an officer lost both the cartridge and the taser gun itself.

That gun still hasn't been recovered.

Police spokeswoman Const. Natalie Aitken said cartridges falling off officers' belts is not just a problem in Winnipeg.

"I know they're devising or looking at some possibilities of either [using] other holsters or just a different way to secure them," she said.

"The reality is our officers carry an abundance of articles on their belt."

Anyone who finds the cartridge is asked to contact police immediately.