Questions 01. Why do States and the international community impose restrictions on the use of force by police? 02. How do abuses and excesses in the use of force by police make their task more difficult? 03. What is meant by the term “proportionate use of force” in relation to policing? 04. What alternatives are there to the use of force? What technical policing skills do they require and how can police officials be trained in them? 05. When is the intentional lethal use of force by police justified? 06. Why does international law not accept unlawful superior orders as a justification for human rights violations? 07. How can police agencies make it easier for police officers to resist unlawful superior orders that may lead to human rights violations? 08. Consider the various ways in which police protect the right to life. 09. International standards governing the use of force by police encourage the use of non-lethal incapacitating weapons. What weapons of that nature are you aware of? How may types are available for your use and what are the dangers in using them? How can these dangers be overcome? 10. There is a requirement for law enforcement officials to report their use of force to superior officials. What levels of force should this apply to? How is it possible to describe different levels of force to police officers so that they may be aware of what they should report? Exercise Use of force and firearms A Highlandian man, long unemployed and desperate for money, has broken into an electronic store and stolen a television set. The television set in one hand, and a large knife in the other, he runs from the store as the alarm sounds and threatens several bystanders who attempt to block his escape. Breaking through the crowd, he spots two police officers approaching in response to the alarm. He turns and runs to an open field, dropping the knife as he clutches the television set in flight. One of the officers draws his gun and shoots the thief in the back, killing him instantly. As rumours of the incident circulate, an angry crowd begins to gather at the Presidential Palace. Arriving on the scene of a demonstration, you witness some two hundred Highlandians protesting angrily against the Government and its police. The crowd is organized in front of the Presidential Palace and is made up of men, women and children. Some fifteen police officers, wearing ordinary uniforms and carrying M-16 rifles, stand in formation with their backs to the high fence surrounding the Palace, facing the protesters. A muscular young male protester picks up a bottle and throws it at the police. Three of the police officers break from formation and chase the protester, catching him against the fence. The protester resists arrest, throwing punches and kicks at the police. Responding with blows from their rifle butts, the police knock the man to the ground and handcuff him. The protester, face down and handcuffed on the pavement, squirms about, refusing to hold still. The police respond by continuing to kick, punch and hit him with the butts of their rifles. They deliver some 200 blows to the man’s head and body, continuing in rage even after he lies motionless on the ground. The commander of the unit then orders them to carry the man into a police vehicle. They do so, leaving him in the parked and locked car, and then return to formation. By then the crowd, having witnessed the incident, has turned violent. Riot police arrive in force and completely surround the protesters. Rocks and bottles begin to fly toward 97