Pepperball health damage by police?

24/02/2011

At demonstrations last weekend in Dresden so-called pepperball weapons were repeatedly used by the police. Now it is discussed whether these Wafenn can cause permanent damage.

These pepperball weapons, known as ranged weapons, fire bullets filled with pepper dust. Shortly before the demonstrations took place, the Saxon Minister of the Interior hurriedly issued the Pepperball regulation "VwV PeBa SEK". This regulated that the Saxon Special Task Force (SEK) was allowed to fire the capsaicin II-filled bullets at people. Occasion should have been the fact that the pepper spray, what officials already use, does not work at long distances. The use of Pepperball has been and continues to be highly criticized because, when hit on the face or neck, the bullets can cause severe sustained damage.

The now used weapon "TAC 700 launcher" comes from the US company "PepperBall Technologies Inc." and has been used in the US many times. The weapon represents a modified version of a weapon used in the paintball sector. So far, the bullets were approved in Germany exclusively for animal defense, since they - after warnings in sales portals - in case of misuse or careless handling can lead to serious injuries.

According to media reports, there are already documented cases in Switzerland, where the weapon was already used. In Saxony should be shot with the Pepperball weapon only on the chest. Critics point out, however, that in stressful and confusing situations, such as are often found at demonstrations, officials are often unable to ensure this accuracy. The proximity between the chest area and the neck could quickly lead to hits in sensitive areas in a fast-moving person in a conflict situation. Physical damage can not be ruled out. Even with the weapons used so far, such as water cannons and pepper spray, it should therefore come to severe injuries in demonstration participants. The media had already in the last year at "Stuttgart 21" protests gone a man who suffered massive damage to the eyes by a Wasserwerfer- use.

According to the online portal DNN of the "Leipziger Volkszeitung", there were over 150 injured people on the part of the demonstrators, according to estimates by the General Medical Service (ASDS). About 200 people had to be flushed out because of the consequences of pepper use. (Tf)