Police, The Public, ‘Less Lethal Force’ and Suspects: Deconstructing the human rights arguments

Violent criminals pose threats to the life and well-being of the police and public alike. One response is the development of mid-range ‘less-lethal’ weapons such as TASER® stun guns and other electronic control devices (ECD). These have the power to incapacitate the suspect temporarily, neutralising the threat to the public, the suspect him- or herself and the law enforcement officers. Nevertheless there have been claims that the deployment of such weapons violates human rights. This article thus considers the use of electronic control devices by law enforcement officers within a human rights framework. The principal issues evolve from the coexistence of potential beneficiaries of the salient human rights.