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THREAD: #PoliceViolence in response to #GeorgeFloydprotest reminds me of use-of-force probs during the Northern Ireland Troubles, where indiscriminate use of “non-lethal” wpns like baton rounds fueled violence. I wrote on this a while back. 1/ https://www.academia.edu/43012392/Drohan_Unintended_Consequences_JMH
Baton rounds originated in the British Empire; wooden rounds were prepared for use in Hong Kong in the 1960s. With the #NorthernIreland Troubles, officials looked for a “non-lethal” weapon with more deterrent effect (i.e. more dangerous) than tear gas. 2/
But they thought wooden rounds were too dangerous for use against fellow white people, so they developed rubber rounds designed for “precision” use against riot leaders/instigators. Problem was, rubber billets weren’t accurate enough for this. 3/
So British security forces started frequently firing them generally in the direction of crowds. Such indiscriminate use led to serious injuries and deaths. A supposedly more accurate plastic round was introduced in the early 1970s. 4/
But to improve accuracy required increasing the round’s velocity. Faster round = harder hit. So still very dangerous. Again, indiscriminate use of these rounds continued to inflame tensions between civilians and security forces. 5/
So “non-lethal” riot control weapons tend to have counterproductive effects in terms of community-police relations. One big difference btwn Northern Ireland and current US protests? There WAS an armed, separatist insurgency in NI—there isn’t one here! END.
