§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what information he has evaluated in respect of the rejection in other countries of the CS spray type currently under trial in the United Kingdom; [21991]
(2) which police forces declined to be included in the current trial period for CS sprays; [21993]
(3) What type of CS spray is currently under test by police forces in Britain; what is its country of origin; and what is the projected length of the trial period. [21992]
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answers 21 March 1996]: So far as my right hon. and learned Friend is aware, no other country has, in considering police use of incapacitant sprays, rejected the CS equipment currently being trialled by police forces in England and Wales. The forces participating in the trials volunteered to do so as a result of a general invitation by the Association of Chief Police Officers. The type of spray being trialled is a five per cent. CS solution dispensed in a stream from a small hand-held aerosol. It is manufactured in France. The trials will last for six months.
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