CROWD CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES - Omega Research Foundation

unstable circulation, hypertensive patients or carriers of heart pacemakers. That the use of the electric
batons may result in a sudden fall in blood pressure and cause the collapse of such a person(. 257
Many suppliers of electro-shock batons have cited research undertaken in 1985 by a professor at
Dusseldorf University, Germany. However, the professor stated that )his expert opinion only referred
to an apparatus type )Paralyser( produced by the company Dicom Electronics Ltd, which was on the
market at the time( and that )as far as I know this specific model we examined is not any more on the
market..it is the nature of things that risk assessments only apply to a very concrete version of an
apparatus of this kind and that it is impossible to derive any general clearance certificates in respect to
technical variants of these systems(...)If manufacturers refer to my expert opinion as proof their
products are unobjectionable, they do so without being authorised(. [emphasis added]. 258
An increased awareness of the dangers of stun weapons amongst the medical profession is
emerging - illustrated by reports of their possible involvement in the sudden deaths of men restrained in
the prone position by police officers. 259
4.3.2 Effects from the deployment of stun weapons. Whilst the health and safety impacts of the stun
weapons intended effects are disputed, it is clear that there are a number of negative impacts caused
by the deployment of such weapons. Some of these effects have unintended or unforeseen
consequences and result from the interaction with other crowd control technologies or their facility to
induce panic or fear reactions. For example, it was reported in 1990 that New York police officers use
of a stun gun inadvertently set fire to a young boy who had been sprayed with pepper-spray which
contained a flammable propellant. 260
An incident in Tembisa, South Africa in 1996 also highlighted the dangers associated with the
deployment of electric batons for crowd control purposes. Following the use of electric batons by
railway security personnel, 16 passengers were crushed to death in the ensuing panic. The
subsequent inquiry established that there was no legal or regulatory framework within which electric
batons were manufactured, sold or used in South Africa. The inquiry recommended that )the use of
electric batons be banned in South Africa. This should remain the case until a regulatory framework
exists for the manufacture, sale and use of electric batons and reliable and independent medical and
legal research establishes that the use of the electric baton on any person would not subject such a
person to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.( 261
Stun weapon manufacturers and law enforcement agencies recognise the need for adequate
training before deployment of these weapons. However, even where training is available and existing
systems or accountability and oversight are in place there have been reports of unacceptable use. For
example, it was reported that the )Greek Government had outlawed the use of such weapons by law
enforcement agencies following cases of severe ill-treatment by the Greek police(. 262 If stun weapons
are deployed there is a clear requirement for effective personnel training; effective and transparent
recording of usage, together with the establishment and maintenance of appropriate accountability and
disciplinary procedures. However, the considered view of this report is that they should no longer be
deployed or traded in Europe.
5. ABUSE OF TECHNOLOGIES
There are many and varied ways in which either the design or the operational usage of crowd
control weapons facilitate human rights violations. Abuse of these weapons consists of the breach of
several layers of alleged safeguards. These include undermining set rules of engagement; a failure to
ensure that any deployment of force is appropriate, transparent and accountable and the inherent
characteristics of the technology itself which might lend themselves to abuse. To understand
abusability we also need to understand the context and the extent to which police and military culture
permit or even encourage such abusability and whether or not these cultures punish members who
breach extant human and civil rights protocols. One of the most undermining trends in recent years is
the militarisation of the police which has cross-fertilized what should be two very different operational
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