The most impactful news currently hogging the airwaves is the unfortunate white supremacist agitation in Charlottesville, Va. Innocent people have been hurt, a deep-seated vile sentiment has found an outlet, and most unfortunately, an audience as well. Neo-Nazism has always existed in human society, however, now, thanks to a new wave of resentment and questionable political developments, extremist factions are daring to add a level of urgency and brutality to their ulterior agenda.
The United States aside, there are many parts of the world wherein protestors (both peaceful- as in the students at Tiananmen Square, and hatemongers- as in the case of Charlottesville) have tense confrontations with law enforcement officials. The agitators have the numbers while the police have a responsibility – to quickly and safely bring an end to the commotion. And, almost always, the law enforcement is severely outnumbered by the mob.
Enter, non-lethal weapons. These are a family of hand-held firearms and associated accessories that spew non-lethal projectiles, or temporarily incapacitate an aggressor, as in the case of stun-guns and pepper sprays. These non-lethal weapons help the law enforcement officials in avoiding a bad situation from turning worse.
According to a comprehensive industry research report posted by Technavio, the growing insistence on non-lethal options to control unruly crowds will encourage law enforcement units from around the world to invest more on these weapons. The predicted rise in civil unrest will lead to more situations wherein the use of such weapons will be mandated.
Globally, communities and citizenry are getting aware of their basic rights and lashing out if the same aren’t bestowed upon them by their respective governments or administrative organizations. Tempers could boil over in certain inflammable situations and what began as a peaceful show of numbers quickly morphs into an angry mob. Any innocent bystander caught in the melee could end up as a casualty.
On the flipside, there are demonstrations such as the one in Charlottesville that could be the coming together of closeted anti-social elements, with an intention to disrupt and provoke. Herein, a mad-man ploughed his car into the onlooking crowd that resulted in a fatality. Situations such as these demand a swift and decisive response on the part of the law enforcement agencies. And, the police are expected to always play nice and just.
Unlike the hypothetical world of Judge Dredd, real world law enforcement hinges on containment and weeding of noted troublemakers who have the propensity to incite a crowd into destructive action. In recent times, minor provocations such as the loss in a football game, has incited people enough to form mobs that are hellbent on destruction. In critical times such as these, crowd control becomes a top priority. Effective crowd control with the usage of non-lethal weapons as deterrent could save lives, and avoid damage to property.
Law enforcement agencies must educate themselves about the various such non-lethal weaponry available to them and perfect their responses to such troublesome scenarios. Most non-lethal weapons available today serve a dual purpose and can quickly be configured to become lethal weapons. In cases of extreme agitation, the latter could be the law enforcer’s final option.
