HC Deb 01 April 1965 vol 709 cc1822-5
18. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will enumerate and identify the number of occasions in the last five years on which gas has been used as a weapon to maintain order in dependent territories.

Mr. Greenwood

Two forms of nontoxic tear smoke, known as CN and CS, have been used by police forces in territories which are still dependent on 124 occasions over the last five years. Ninety seven of them in British Guiana. They have been used, for example, to disarm persons running amok, to quell prison disturbances, to apprehend armed criminals and to disperse rioters. I am arranging for a list to be included in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

There are standing instructions in all colonial police forces that tear smoke is only to be employed in preference to the use of batons or firearms. I am drawing the attention of all Governors to this Question and Answer.

Questions about the use of tear smoke by British troops should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Defence.

Mr. Hamilton

Does not my right hon. Friend think it appalling that this information has been withheld from this House for so long? Can he give an undertaking that if and when the Government take a decision to use this substance again, a specific statement to that effect will be made to this House in order that we may question him on it?

Mr. Greenwood

I am not aware that there has been any attempt to withhold this information; I think it is simply that it has not been asked for in the past. But it is important to remember that the use of this tear smoke is not indiscriminate; that there is not known to be any case within the period in question where permanent harmful effects have been caused, and that the other agent of this kind, which has been much in the news recently—DM—is not supplied to colonial police forces.

Mr. J. Amery

Whilst most of us in the House would, I think, have disagreed with the slogan of a movement with which I believe the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton) was associated—"Better Red than Dead" could we not all agree that it is better to cry than die?

Mr. Bessell

Would the Minister agree that it is far better to use tear smoke, which will probably be far less harmful in the long term than batons used indiscriminately, which might cause severe physical damage? Will he therefore take that into account, and not allow members of the Government to be over-emotional on the subject?

Mr. Greenwood

I do not think that any of us could be very happy about the use of this tear smoke on any occasion, but I think, equally clearly, that it must be regarded as preferable to the use of other forms of violence. There are many situations, of course, in which it is difficult to effect arrest or avoid a riot without the use of tear smoke of the kind issued to colonial police, but, certainly, it is extremely important that its use should be kept to the minimum. That is why the Colonial Police Regulations contain a reference to its use, and that is why I shall circulate this Question and Answer to all Colonial Governments.

Mr. Driberg

Can my right hon. Friend define the difference between this tear gas and the "other agent" to which he referred in his supplementary reply, which is described as non-lethal but is clearly much more than mere tear gas and is clearly, to some extent, toxic?

Mr. Greenwood

I would find it difficult at this notice to define the third agent, DM, but I can say that neither CN nor CS in itself produces permanent harmful effects. CN is a lachrymatory agent which also causes irritation of the respiratory passages, and may cause irritation of the skin. Its effects last approximately three minutes. CS causes more severe irritation, and the average period of incapacity is from five to fifteen minutes. I am afraid that I have not the information about the other agent, DM, about which my hon. Friend asked.

Following is the list:

Territory Date Circumstances
Aden … September, 1962 To disperse illegal assemblies.
30th May, 1963 To disperse demonstrators.
31st May, 1963 To disperse demonstrators.
Bahamas … (Two occasions in last 5 years) In apprehending armed criminal barricaded in house
Basutoland … May, 1960 To disperse demonstrators.
October, 1961 To restore order and prevent destruction of property
Bechuanaland Protectorate … November, 1963 To disperse rioting youths.
Bermuda … February, 1965 To disperse rioters.
British Guiana … 1960 Twice.
1961 Once.
1962 Six times.
1963 51 times (during serious disturbances in the course of the general strike, during which there were 9 deaths).
1964 37 times (during the prolonged disturbances and inter-racial violence during which some 160 lives were lost).
British Honduras … November, 1961 To disperse looters following Hurricane Hattie.
Fiji … March, 1965 To restore order in prison disturbance.
Hong Kong … May, 1964 To apprehend murderer armed with machine gun.
January, 1965 To arrest and disarm without injury armed madman.
Mauritius … November, 1961 To disperse illegal procession.
November, 1963 To disperse disorderly crowd.
April, 1964 To disperse disorderly crowd.
August, 1964 To disperse rioting strikers.
St. Lucia … July, 1963 To apprehend armed criminal.
August, 1963 In attempt to recapture escaped prisoner.
October, 1963 To restore order in local prison.
Swaziland … April, 1962 To disperse crowd and prevent destruction of property.
May, 1963 To prevent crowd attempting to remove persons from lawful police custody.
May, 1963 To disperse crowd attempting to release person under arrest.
June, 1963 To restore order after prison riot.
March, 1964 To disperse rioters.
January, 1965 To disperse demonstrators.