Riot control

Riot control personnel have long used less lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds and detain rioters.

Since the 1980s, riot control officers have also used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, stun grenades, and electric tasers.

New policing methods, including combat pistol shooting, hand to hand combat skills, and knife fight training, were pioneered by British Assistant Commissioner William E. Fairbairn and officer Eric Anthony Sykes of the Shanghai Municipal Police as a response to a staggering rise in armed crime in the 1920s — Shanghai had become one of the world's most dangerous cities due to a breakdown in law and order in the country and the growth of organised crime and the opium trade.

The summer of 2020 oversaw a large number of mass protests for Black Lives Matter to address systemic bias in police departments.

Amnesty International interpreted that the President should be held criminally responsible for the deaths and injuries that the protesters had sustained.

The gear frequently worn by riot control officers protects the entire body with no vulnerable spots to exploit.

For example, the helmets worn by riot control officers have an additional outward-extending part that protects the back of the neck from assault.

Contemporary riot gear incorporated innovations such as tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, pepper spray, and tasers, which contributes to minimizing injuries and casualties for all parties involved.

These advancements have revolutionized crowd control by shifting from relying on lethal force to employing more less-than-lethal methods that prioritize public safety and safeguard the well-being of law enforcement officers.

[10] One of many additional concerns is to prevent people in the crowd from snatching officers' side arms, which may be stolen or even used against the police.

For this reason, riot police may have holsters with positive locking mechanisms or other extra means of retention, if their agencies can afford such tools.

The base choice is between lethal (e.g. 12 gauge shotgun) and less-than-lethal weaponry (e.g. tear gas, pepper spray, plastic bullets, tasers, batons, and other incapacitants).

The decision is based on the perceived level of threat and the existing laws; in many countries it is illegal to use lethal force to control riots in all but the most extreme circumstances.

Special riot hand weapons include the wooden or rubber baton; the African sjambok, a heavy leather or plastic whip, and the Indian lathi, a 6 to 8 foot (1.8 to 2.4 m) long cane with a blunt metal tip.

[11] They can rapidly produce sensory irritation or disabling physical effects which usually disappear within 15 minutes (for tear gas) and up to 2 hours (for pepper spray) following termination of exposure.

[12] The active ingredient in pepper-spray is capsaicin, which is a chemical derived from the fruit of plants in the Capsicum genus, including chilies.

CN and CR are, thus, difficult to decompose under practical conditions, whereas CS can easily be inactivated by means of a water solution.

[17] The front-line officers in a riot control are often fully armored and carry weapons such as batons, designed to be in direct contact with the crowd.

Baton charging is designed to cause the maximum amount of pain, in the hope that they would be compelled to move away from the scene, dispersing the crowd.

Some effects of riot agents include irritation, runny nose, chest tightness, coughing as well as swelling.

[22] The Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests are an example that has been studied due to its psychological health effects, stemming from the severe nature of the police response.

[25] In France, it was found that Yellow Vest protesters who encountered police violence had a 1.54% higher likelihood of experiencing severe depressive symptoms and were 2.58 times more likely to exhibit signs indicative of PTSD.

In the whole scheme of police violence towards protesters, it is said that people who were involved in or just living in areas affected by riots could experience an uptick in PTSD by 4% to 41%.

Even without considering riots, police officers already have almost double the risk of developing PTSD, depression, and anxiety than the average person.

For example, during the unrest after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the number of recorded cases of PTSD among police officers increased upwards of 30%.

[28] With the increase in mental illness from the civil unrest and public scrutiny, many police officers resigned, resorted to substance abuse, and even suicide.

Symptoms that Police Officer may face after riots:[29] January 6th, 2021, was a trying time for all Americans as protesters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

Beyond this lawsuit, multiple police officers who responded to the Capitol committed suicide in the following months:[31] When looking at the January 6th riots, they present a contradiction, as many of the attendees were Republicans, which tend to favor and support the police[32] There has become a shift now where Republicans have become more in favor of a limited government in order to conserve their freedoms.

Stink bombs are devices designed to create an extremely unpleasant smell for riot control and area denial purposes.

Stink bombs are believed to be less dangerous than other riot control chemicals, since they are effective at low concentrations.