shocks on an individual. However used, the officers applying such shocks would usually not know if the victim has a vulnerable medical condition. Nor can officers reasonably ascertain the degree of pain or incapacitation they inflict with such a weapon since that pain can vary significantly from person to person depending on a range of physical and psychological factors, as well as different environmental factors such as the presence of moisture.38 Insofar as the amount of force delivered by electric shock stun weapons can be variable and unpredictable in certain circumstances, the force will be arbitrary and contrary to international standards for law enforcement. Given there is a substantial risk that the use of these weapons, as currently designed, can amount to arbitrary force, or torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment, they should never be used for law enforcement purposes. Electric shock stun shields: These are shields that deliver a painful electric shock when contact is made with an individual. Like other direct contact electric shock stun weapons, the shock inflicted with such stun shields can create intense pain but does not necessarily incapacitate the person targeted. However, multiple shocks may be inflicted with one shield and several shields might be used against one person. In China such shields can be made with additional metal spikes designed to attack and wound an individual. Although Amnesty International and Omega have no reports of these shields being used, they have been advertised for sale by Chinese companies at domestic trade fairs and on the internet.39 For similar reasons to those pertaining to other hand applied electric shock weapons, Amnesty International and Omega call for the prohibition of electric shock stun shields in law enforcement. Problematic equipment whose use should be suspended pending assessent Projectile electric shock stun weapons: Such weapons fire darts that attach to a person’s body, delivering an incapacitating high voltage electric shock that causes the subject to lose muscle control. Companies market these weapons as a device for law enforcement officers to control or incapacitate an individual posing a threat of serious injury. When deployed by highly trained police officers as a projectile in a stand-off situation to prevent an imminent threat of serious injury, such projectile stun weapons can be a legitimate alternative to firearms. Officers authorized to use such weapons must abide by international policing standards on the use of firearms and should always be under a strict system of supervision and accountability so as to ensure that such standards are fully met. However, most such dart-firing stun weapons are designed so that they can easily be switched to “drive stun” mode so as to enable them to be used as direct contact electric shock stun guns. As noted above, Amnesty International and Omega consider the use of such direct contact stun weapons to pose a substantial risk of torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, and therefore call for the prohibition of the “drive stun” mode or “override” hand touch function on such dart-firing electric shock weapons. Chinese projectile electric shock stun gun © Robin Ballantyne China’s Trade in Tools of Torture and Repression Amnesty International – Index: ASA 17/042/2014 11