Is capsicum spray 100 per cent safe?
1. Is capsicum spray 100 per cent safe? Is there a need for more research into such things as its effect on people such as asthmatics and pregnant women?
Answer:
The product is natural-food-grade red capsicum concentrated in a liquid for spraying. This hot spice has been eaten by people for centuries. The safety aspects have been internationally researched. Adversaries often reference some American deaths, but fail to state accurately that the deaths have not been attributed to the spray, but rather to pre-existing diseases, lethal doses of cocaine or other drugs and, more importantly, positional asphyxia’, or lack of responsible aftercare.
Ten per cent of Australians suffer from asthma. Many others have respiratory or heart conditions. Capsicum spray sounds relatively harmless when compared with a gunshot wound, but its use can be lethal when combined with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, respiratory problems, heart conditions, or when it is used on pregnant women.
2. Considering the number of police shootings, isn’t a shift to a spray such as this a welcome move?
Answer:
Police strategies, tactics and equipment options are balanced to provide the safest possible outcomes for the police, the public and offenders or suspects. The more options there are, the better chance of a resolution with minimum risk of harm to all.
The Victorian police have stated that the spray will be used in ‘life-threatening’ situations. When you have a young, inexperienced police officer confronted by a scary situation, his/her definition of life-threatening’ may be different from that of a social worker, ambulance officer or nurse who deals daily with unstable people with psychological problems.
3. Is the shift to capsicum spray a quick-fix solution?
Answer:
Capsicum spray is part of a balanced approach providing another option to de-escalate violent situations and resolve them without injury. The ideal is not to have to use confrontational options and maintain negotiations.
Yes. Capsicum spray cannot compete with good police training which enables officers to negotiate and understand the complexities of life in the Nineties, with unemployment and dein-stitutionalisation of the mentally ill.
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