§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 22 May 2000,Official Report, column 656, if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the use of water cannon against crowds (a) comprised entirely of adult males, (b) comprised of adult males and adult females and (c) comprised entirely of adult females. [124361]
§ Mr. StrawWater cannon are not currently in use for public order purposes in England and Wales.
The possibility of providing the police with water cannon to deal with serious public disorder was carefully considered by a joint police and Horne Office working party in the 1980s. Tests were conducted into all aspects of the water cannon's operational capabilities. Models in use on the continent were examined and a wide range of tests were carried out using custom—built British prototypes, as a result of which a number of operational problems emerged.
Water cannons cannot be mobilised quickly in order to deal with spontaneous disorder and when mobilised are slow and difficult to manoeuvre, particularly in narrow streets. When water cannon were used in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s they were not found to be effective and, in fact, they became prize targets for rioters.
For these reasons, chief police officers in England and Wales have not been persuaded that water cannon would be of operational value in dealing with public disorder in this country.