§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the plastic baton round training referred to in the Minister of State's letter of 18 August to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley was provided(a) by the Royal Ulster Constabulary or (b) for the Royal Ulster Constabulary; [20029]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers are permitted to use firearms against unarmed demonstrators; [20048]
(3) if Surrey Police Force has taken the actions referred to in his letter to the hon. Member for Cynon Valley of 18 August concerning the Otec Ultima system; [20045]
(4) which United Kingdom police forces use the Otec Ultima training programme; [20042]
(5) if he will make it his policy to ensure that United Kingdom police forces using the Otec Ultima trainer observe the principle of minimum force; [20043]
(6) which foreign military, security or police forces have been supplied with the Otec Ultima Multi Media Weapons trainer; and if the training package included the video sequence displaying police using firearms on unarmed demonstrators; [20044]
(7) if police baton gunners trained on the Otec Ultima system have been retrained in accordance with his Department's guidelines on the discharge of plastic baton rounds on unarmed demonstrators. [20046]
§ Mr. MichaelI do not know which foreign military, security or police forces have been supplied with the Otec Ultima Multi Media Weapons training system but I understand that a marketing video for the system, which included a scene of a police officer firing a gun at rioters in a training simulation, was sent abroad by a British company. The scene was entirely inappropriate and, as84W I explained to my hon. Friend on 18 August, it has been dropped from the current marketing video. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing the scene to my attention. The training system is used by the City of London, Metropolitan and Surrey police forces. None of these forces uses the system for baton round training. The training referred to in my letter of 18 August concerned an invitation to tender for the provision of a simulator to help in the training by the Royal Ulster Constabulary of its baton round gunners. That letter did not call upon Surrey police to take any action.
The Home Office has not discussed with the Association of Chief Police Officers circumstances in which officers would be permitted to use firearms against unarmed demonstrators because, as I said in my answer on 12 June 1997, Official Report, column 512, it would be entirely wrong for police forces to train officers to fire on unarmed demonstrators. All officers trained in the use of plastic baton round launchers have been trained in accordance with Home Office guidelines on the use of baton rounds for dealing with public disorder. Any officer using force must comply with section 3 of the Criminal Law Act 1967 which provides that a person may use such force as is reasonable in the circumstances in preventing crime or arresting an offender. I would expect chief officers to ensure that this is fully reflected in any training of officers.
§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers concerning his Department's guidelines on the discharge of plastic baton rounds against unarmed demonstrators. [20047]
§ Mr. MichaelThe Association of Chief Police Officers was consulted about Home Office guidelines on the use of baton rounds for dealing with public disorder when they were first issued in 1981 and during subsequent 85W revisions, the most recent of which was in 1995. A copy of the guidelines is in the Library. I am aware that the Association of Chief Police Officers have been considering whether, in their view, any amendments to the guidelines should be made; but no proposals have been put forward and no recent discussions on this subject have taken place with the Home Office.