such ammunition also poses a particularly high risk of causing serious eye injuries including blindness. The dangers of these types of projectiles have been demonstrated in many countries, including in Chile in 2019, where a total of 445 eye injuries were recorded over a 5-month period, mainly owing to the use of kinetic impact ammunition containing multiple projectiles87. Given their indiscriminate nature and potential to cause serious injuries, kinetic impact munitions containing multiple projectiles are not appropriate for law enforcement operations. Depending on the design and materials used, certain types of single projectile ammunition are also unacceptably inaccurate for use in a policing context. According to the UN Guidance on Less Lethal Weapons, ‘to meet international standards, impact projectiles should be capable of striking an individual to within a 10-centimetre diameter of the targeted point when fired from the designated range’88. In addition to its accuracy, the energy that a projectile imparts is another factor that determines the level of risk associated with its use. The higher the kinetic energy a projectile has on impact, the greater the risk of it causing penetrating injuries or serious or life-threatening blunt force trauma. The kinetic energy of projectiles can vary significantly depending on their weight, velocity, design and composition. Rubber coated metal bullets, for example, typically impact with much greater kinetic energy than other types of kinetic impact projectiles and thus pose a high risk of serious injury or death. For this reason, rubber-coated metal rounds are inappropriate for law enforcement. Omega’s analysis of Brazilian manufacturers of law enforcement equipment shows that kinetic impact projectiles are produced by both Condor and CBC. The products manufactured by these companies include both single and ▲ A range of kinetic impact projectiles manufactured by Condor on display at Milipol 2019 © Robin Ballantyne/Omega Research Foundation multiple projectile rounds marketed for use by law enforcement. Given their inherently indiscriminate nature, Omega believes that the multiple projectile rounds produced by these companies are inappropriate for use by law enforcement. 3.1.5 Instruments of restraint Although the cases of abuse involving instruments of restraint detailed in section one of this report involved the misuse of equipment by law enforcement officials, the risks associated with the use of restraints increase if the instruments themselves are poorly designed or inherently abusive. As such, when testing and selecting restraints, it is important to ensure that they are appropriate for use by law enforcement and include features designed to help prevent unnecessary pain and to reduce the risk of injury to the subject. Firstly, metal handcuffs used by law enforcement should include a double locking mechanism which prevents accidental over-tightening. Handcuffs which lack a double locking mechanism89, pose the risk of being overtightened either intentionally or accidentally, as a suspect struggles during arrest or tries to loosen them to relieve the pressure. Secondly, while metal handcuffs linked by chain links allow limited movement of the wrists, handcuffs linked by a hinge or rigid bar severely restrict movement, thus heightening the risk of causing pain to the wrists, forearms and shoulders when used for extended periods. These types of handcuffs are also open 34  ▲ A range of 12-gauge kinetic impact munitions manufactured by CBC and promoted on the company’s website. Each munition contains multiple plastic or rubber pellets. © Companhia Brasileira de Cartuchos 35