Police Officers Opinions on the use of Non-lethal Weapons in Combating Crime

p Police Officers Opinions on the use of Non-lethal Weapons in Combating Crime

Chapter One - Introduction

Non-lethal weapons have been accepted to be the key component of today 's domestic enforcement force . Over the years , the technologies initially tested for military purposes was redesigned and redeployed for law enforcement

The key motivation of using non-lethal weapons is to reduce the human loss of life . The Department of Defence (DOD ) defines non-lethal weapons in DoD Policy Directive 3000 .3 (Levine et al , 2002 ) as

The weapon systems that are explicitly designed

and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or material , while minimising fatalities , permanent injury to personnel , and undesired damage to property and environment (DoD , 1996

As the technology and method is being increasing deployed in various scenarios , it is necessary to review whether the system is performing in an acceptable manner . There are several critical parameters that can determine how effective the system is . This research attempts to find out whether the non-lethal weapon system is effective in combating crime

Statement of the problem

As the police force increasingly uses different types of non-lethal weapons , it changes the way in which the force deals with various issues . The research tries to find out whether the new ways of functioning of the police force using these weapons is helpful for them in combating crimes or it creates more risks and occupational hazard to the police force . Specifically this research attempts to find out the following

Does the police force that use the non-lethal or less-than-lethal weapons feel it is effective for carrying out their critical actions during a combative scenario with the suspects

Is all the police force using the non-lethal weapons according to the policies laid out

Do all the police officers likely to use the non-lethal weapons have adequate training for carrying out actions using the weapons

Are the non-lethal weapons effective for combating crime

As more and more non-lethal weapons are being researched and inducted by different organisations including police force , the ways of using the non-lethal weapons and the effectiveness will continue to change However the knowledge of the deficiencies and issues in using it will always provide feedback for improvement and the development towards a `police actions without fatalities

The research focuses on finding the perception of the police community on the use of non-lethal weapons . Although several research s are being carried out by various government bodies such as NIJ , it usually focuses on the weapon and technology . There is very less research on an integrated study taking into consideration different aspects such as the strength of the weapon , policies and the effectiveness . This research attempts to provide an integrated view to the usage of non-lethal weapons

More importantly , it provides the information from the perspective of the police force . The result can be used for validating other research to give this perspective

Purpose of the Study

Non-lethal weapons has redefined how weapons are used for the combating crime in urban areas . This may include...