18 Law enforcement officials shall be made aware of the potentially injurious effects of the weapons they are authorized to use, and shall be specifically trained in dealing with those consequences. Training shall also address the requirements for specialist medical attention (including those of vulnerable individuals) and the need to gather data to assess how weapons are used, their effectiveness, and safety issues. 4.6 MEDICAL ASSISTANCE 4.6.1 Medical assistance shall be rendered to any injured or affected person at the earliest possible moment.57 The duty to assist applies without discrimination of any kind. Thus, assistance shall be duly provided, irrespective of whether the injured person is a suspected offender. Distinctions with regard to the medical assistance provided are justifiable only on medical grounds, such as the urgency of medical needs. Access to medical assistance should therefore be provided on the basis of the severity of the injury. 4.6.2 Where feasible, appropriate first-aid equipment should routinely be accessible to law enforcement officials (for example, in police vehicles and during assemblies). In any event, access to ambulances shall not be arbitrarily withheld from any injured or affected person. 4.6.3 Law enforcement officials shall at all times facilitate and cooperate with those providing medical assistance, including by making available pertinent information relating to the less-lethal weapon or related equipment that has been used.58 This duty applies to interactions with medical professionals rendering assistance in their official capacity and to other health-care workers with appropriate skills. 57 58 Basic Principles, principle 5 (c). See for example European Court of Human Rights, Lipencov v. Moldova, Judgment, 25 January 2011, para. 38; and Jasinskis v. Latvia, Judgment, 21 December 2010, paras. 56–68.

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