• Home /
• Statewatch Database /
• The "injury potential" of batons

The "injury potential" of batons

01 November 1994

The President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) sent out a letter to Chief Constables in August giving the results of the trials of expandable side handled batons. The survey was carried out by Touche Ross Management Consultants for ACPO's Sub-Committee on Self-Defence, Arrest, Restraint/Physical Protection of Police. The survey found that police officers favoured the "friction lock baton" to the "expandable side handled baton". The "friction lock baton" was, says the report, likely to be the choice in covert operations and that the 21 inch version of the baton has an injury potential roughly twice that of the traditional truncheon and that the 24 and 26 inch versions would have "significantly higher injury potential".

On 23 November the Home Secretary announced that he was giving the go-ahead for police across the country to use the "rigid side handled baton" this follows authorisation to use the "expandable side-handled baton" in June. The Metropolitan Police, for which the Home Secretary is the police authority, were to be allowed to use 24" and 26" in addition to the 22" ones already issued. The 24" baton is available in hollow and solid versions. The traditional wooden truncheon is 16" long. Plainclothes and undercover police officers in the Met are testing an extendible three part, friction lock baton because they have "operational difficulties with the long baton".

Home Office press release 23.11.94; Personal Safety, Metropolitan Police no 1 November 1994.