PART III.  INSTRUMENTS OF FORCE CHAPTER KEY MESSAGES • States should equip their law enforcement officials with a range of means through providing equipment and developing skills, so that they can choose a differentiated response to situations that is in line with international norms and standards, including the BPUFF. • Developing use-of-force policy in order to give guidance on when to choose what type of force may assist law enforcement officials in their decisions. • Less lethal instruments of force that bear great risk to life should be subjected to the same provisions as firearms, but with the understanding that, where possible, the use of such weapons should be exhausted before resorting to lethal force. • Training should enable users to approach the use of these less-lethal instruments in a similar way as to firearms, i.e. treating them as potentially lethal. • Law enforcement officials should always remember there is the option to disengage (i.e. tactical withdrawal), even temporarily, when a situation escalates dangerously, or when continued intervention might lead to danger. • The discretion afforded to law enforcement officials in the decision as to what instrument to use is a key characteristic of professional policing. Such discretion needs to be counter­ balanced by accountability: officials should record decisions and actions taken, and report about them so that effective control and oversight can be exercised. It is good practice to equip law enforcement officials and their vehicles, while on patrol or during operations, with radios operating at a frequency that is reserved for such police communications and to record such communications to allow for review after the event. • Any new instrument of force should be thoroughly evaluated and tested before being issued to the field, with particular attention to risks and appropriate response measures for mitigation. • In general, military instruments of the offensive type should not be used in law enforcement. If they are needed for a particular situation, they should be used only by a special unit trained in their use, under special supervision and after strict authorization at the highest levels. 77