14. PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT 83 Description: Protective equipment, often referred to as “riot control equipment”, includes shields, helmets, vests and protective body armour. Intended purpose: The purpose of this equipment is to protect law enforcement officers and to decrease the need for using force, protecting the lives of all involved.84 According to the ODIHR Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies, “The use of shields is primarily a means of protection, employed to stop projectiles from hitting officers.”85 In addition, shields are used to assist with crowd dispersal, to contain disorder, to protect vulnerable persons or significant locations, and to arrest those engaged in unlawful behaviour.86 Possible health and/or human rights implications of use in policing assemblies: The UN “Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials” state that they should have access to “self-defensive equipment such as shields, helmets, bullet-proof vests and bullet-proof means of transportation, in order to decrease the need to use weapons of any kind.”87 Such equipment can help law enforcement officers to fulfil their obligation to carry out their duties without resorting to force, as far as possible. In this regard, the de83 84 85 86 87 The term “personal protective equipment” is used in some jurisdictions to include both defensive protective equipment and offensive weapons such as batons and chemical irritant sprays. This section is on the former, i.e., protective equipment intended to be used for defensive purposes only. UNODC & UN OHCHR, Resource Book on the Use of Force and Firearms in Law Enforcement, op. cit., note 24, p. 73. ODIHR, Human Rights Handbook on Policing Assemblies, op. cit., note 2, p. 76. United Kingdom College of Policing, “Public Order: Tactical Options”, United Kingdom College of Policing website, <ht tps://w w w.app.college.police.uk/app-content/public-order/ planning-and-deployment/tactical-options/#shield-tactics>. UN, “Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials”, op. cit., note 4, Principle 2.