Northern Ireland: Research finds new baton rounds more dangerous

The Human Rights Commission today published a report on human rights and the use of baton rounds in Northern Ireland. The report, written by the Omega Foundation for the Commission, raises serious concerns about the safety of the L21A1 baton round currently used by the police and army in Northern Ireland. It concludes that this baton round travels faster and hits harder than the one it replaced and that its lack of accuracy in use makes it potentially more lethal. Brice Dickson, Chief Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, commented: “The Commission is disturbed by Omega’s findings. We are particularly concerned about the potential danger to children from injury by the baton round and indeed some children have already been hurt by it. The authorities should note that the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for the baton round to be withdrawn from use in riot control.” The report also details shortcomings in the system of accountability, particularly in relation to the use of baton rounds by the army. It found that there is no effective independent investigation when rounds are fired by soldiers. It concludes that the Government’s search for a safe alternative to baton rounds has not been carried out with sufficient urgency or independence. Professor Dickson added: “While the news last week that the Government hopes to have an alternative to baton rounds before the end of the year is a welcome development, the Human Rights Commission calls on Government to urgently step up its search for safe alternatives to the baton round, to make that research more independent, and to set itself a time limit for withdrawing the baton round. The introduction of safe alternatives to baton rounds is in the interests of both police officers and civilians, especially children.” EDITORS NOTES 1. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was established in 1999 by the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Under section 69(6) of the Act the Commission has a duty to carry out research in order to promote understanding and awareness of the importance of human rights in Northern Ireland. 2. The Omega Foundation is an independent organisation which specialises in research into military, security and police technologies. It has produced a number of reports on this area for, among others, the European Parliament and the European Commission. 3. In its report of September 1999, the Patten Commission recommended that “an immediate and substantial investment be made in a research programme to find an acceptable, effective and less potentially lethal alternative to the PBR” (Recommendation 69) 4. The L21A1 was introduced in June 2001 in Northern Ireland. At the time Government claimed that it was less lethal on the basis that it was more accurate than the existing baton round. 5. The report’s executive summary and list of recommendations follows here. A copy of the full report entitled Baton Rounds can be obtained under embargo from the Commission. 6. For further information please contact Prof Brice Dickson on 028 9024 3987 (wk) or 07901 853005 (mbl) or Dr Linda Moore on 028 9024 987 (wk). Baton Rounds Research report ——————————————————————————– Executive summary 1. The terms of reference for this report were to review the human rights implications of the introduction and deployment of the L21A1 baton round and to review proposed alternatives to baton rounds. 2. The research was commissioned by the Human Rights Commission in March 2002. Interviews took place in May 2002. 3. The Patten Report recommended that: “an immediate and substantial investment be made in a research programme to find an acceptable, effective and less potentially lethal alternative to the PBR”. Patten advocated an open and objective search for alternatives and consulted some of the communities in Northern Ireland most affected. However even whilst t