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Netherlands: Police want pepper spray

01 November 1998

Dutch police are lobbying for pepper spray to be added to their arsenal. After years of seeking to fill the so-called gap between the baton and the gun, the Home Affairs secretary has asked the laboratory of the Dutch Institute for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) to test the suitability of the spray. The TNO's first report, which came out in January, was a study of the literature dealing with experiences of the spray in other countries. It, like many studies since, was predominantly based on research carried out by the FBI at the end of the 1980s; their results led to the introduction of the spray to US police forces. Recently, it emerged that the person in charge of the FBI research had received bribes totalling US $52,000 from the producer of the spray. He was convicted in 1996.

Last month a second TNO report came out which looked at the risks of pepper spray for people suffering from asthma. Guinea pigs were thrown into a pool to simulate stress before being given a full blast of the spray; because there were no fatalities the TNO believes there are no special risks associated with the spray. It does, however, believe that strict guidelines covering its use are necessary; spraying should be done from a distance of 2-4 metres and for not longer than 0.5 to 1 second. It appears from the spray's use in other countries that there is a problem with police officers who are inclined to use the spray not as a substitute for the gun or baton but as an addition. In the UK, where CS spray is used (at least for the time being), the Police Complaints Authority found that there was "a tendency for it to be used to ensure an easy arrest". Buro Jansen & Janssen plan to publish a dossier with analyses that question the TNO report. Early next year it is expected that the introduction of pepper spray will be discussed in parliament.