Is oleoresin capsicum (pepper gas) a safe way of implementing force for riot control? - A Force Continuum Policy Transfer

Abstract

Police forces sometimes carry out duties under life-threatening conditions. In such situations, police should quickly decide on the force continuum level to establish a better law order situation. Pepper gas became a strong method for balancing force to control the riots. The main purpose of law enforcement in OC exposure is to support the force continuum levels effectiveness within the human rights understanding, to stop the assailants’ actions, and to decrease the risk of getting injured both by the police and riots. Pepper gas is not a substitute for the weapons in the force continuum levels but it is a supportive means for force implementation in the riots. Although the poliçe use of force was born from the idea of preventing the suspect from harming himself or the other party, this situation has a close relationship with reliability. This study aims to review the overall scientific observation of OC's long- and short-term effects and investigate the legal regulations related to the force continuum levels through a policy transfer approach while proposing two additional pepper gas use levels to end the disproportionate force use discussions.