‘Non-lethal’ bullets are often inaccurate and have potential to cause death, disability and serious injury, researchers findRubber and plastic bullets should not be used for crowd control, researchers have said, pointing out that such weapons are often inaccurate and can cause death, disabilities or severe injuries. Bullets made of plastic, rubber, or other materials such as metal shot in a fabric bag, are used as a “less lethal” means of crowd control the world over, from the US to India. Spanish police used rubber bullets in Barcelona during recent protests around the Catalan elections, although the projectiles have been banned for use by Catalan police since 2014. “Our findings indicate that these weapons have the potential to cause severe injuries and death,” the authors write. A Home Office spokesperson said AEP rounds are not designed to be used for crowd control, but are instead intended to be fired to tackle a violent or potentially violent person.

Source: The Guardian December 19, 2017 10:18 UTC