Though police are provided with batons and
other tactical training gears used for defense purposes, the
on-duty baton-wielding policemen are mostly subjected to handle
the worst possible situations that may not give them enough
time for their use. Forget time-consuming gadgets like metal
detectors.
Police personnel need to be equipped with easily carried
Batons and other tactical gears:
A baton, familiarly called a truncheon (or a nightstick),
is essentially a short stick (less than arms-length), made
of wood for superb effect. It is known as a policeman’s
companion or that of a law enforcement agent, or security
personnel. It is assumed as a non-lethal defense system. Their
other uses include having to break windows at times when a
fire extinguisher is in operation or (when) opening the levers
to gain a forced entry into vehicles or structures.
There are several models, but most common are the telescopic
or expandable simple baton and the side-handle baton. At the
end of the 20th century, a popular type of telescopic straight
baton or friction lock baton was made of steel tubing that
collapsed together for carrying, and then slid apart to expand.
A small metal knob on the end added weight when the baton
was used as a bludgeon. Manufacturers include ASP, Monadnock,
Casco and Hiatt.
Both types of batons have their special advantages and some
minor disadvantages. Flexible side-handle batons enable fair
use of strike and block, but they require more training for
its use than straight batons. Side-handle batons are also
very bulky. Expandable straight batons are more compact and
are easier to carry covertly while driving.
Up until the mid-1990s the British police officers carried
traditional wooden truncheons that had changed very little
from the Victorian times. However, since the early1990s, literally,
all forces have chosen to replace truncheons with the more
modern side-handle and telescopic batons for all but ceremonial
purposes.
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