Discuss the Importance of Non-Lethal Weapons for Police Operations - Research Paper Example

It is often left to the practical application on the field (Jussila, 2001), as it is not possible to determine the extent of police force used before the actual event. However, preferably, the police is expected to minimize the damage to the persons involved, and the property (Jussila, 2001), with the understanding that it is inevitable to cause some sort of offence to the criminals or the property during police operations. If there is no checks and balances, there would be unfair and unjustified loss, both of the life and the property of the parties involved (Jussila, 2001).

For this purpose, there is an increased trend to employ non-lethal weapons, or force instruments (Jussila, 2001), so that even fewer cases of damages are invoked. This paper purports to analyze the importance of such non-lethal weapons during police operations. The weapons are basically categorized into two classes; against the people and against the machinery, such as the vehicles (Capstick, 2001). There are some significant examples of weaponry employed for each category, and the following is a brief description of each of these non-lethal weapons, and their importance in police operations.

` The most common forms of weapons are lasers and tasers. Lasers are straight rays of high intensity light that is used to focus targets, make the machinery malfunction, and even as an offensive weapon against criminals (Capstick, 2001). The newer versions of lasers are safe for the eyes, so they can be used without any permanent damage to the victims (Capstick, 2001). Tasers, on the other hand, are essentially shocks of high voltage, low amplitude electricity that is shot through the body of the victim (Capstick, 2001).

This causes a reversible and temporary neuromuscular failure, causing the victim to succumb to the police officers (Capstick, 2001). However, care must be taken not to overuse the tasers as it might even prove to be detrimental to the officers using them. Foams come in sticky and aqueous forms (Capstick, 2001). They stick to the victim and make him unable to move, by increasing in volume and engulfing the victim (Capstick, 2001). The aqueous forms can easily be removed later on and do not cause the danger of suffocation or eye damage (Capstick, 2001).

However, they are not as adhesive as the sticky foam. Simple water is perhaps the most effective and the safest form of non-lethal weapon used against large gatherings for dispersion and for clearance of a closed off area (Capstick, 2001). It is used with pressure through pumps and water guns, and can be infused with dyes to mark the miscreants (Capstick, 2001). Acoustic weapons and malodarants are two technologies that can be effectively used against mass gatherings and for crowd dispersal (Capstick, 2001).

However, they can be a source of inconvenience for the people in the neighborhood and for untargeted victims (Capstick, 2001), as they need to be further improved and refined. However, they have the potential for effective force employment that is non-detrimental to the victims, like the water guns. Sticky nets are another example of non-lethal weapons, and they can be fired using simple dispensers that can be attached to the police guns to entrap the victims and make them indisposed to counterattack (Capstick, 2001).

Non-lethal weapons that can be used against machinery such as vehicles include