t ?) rae::s
An ORBIS
Publicotion eepS$ffi
IR Sl.25Aus $z.fS NZ $2.65 Sinsr $4.50
Armed Forces
of the World: Peru
Riot Contlol Grenades
n"-'
Ar,atcr,!" cf a R:ot
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We hl'e rn drlncult trmes Even the most orderiy and establlshed A US Police Olficer armed with Smith and Wesson Shoulder Gas Gun ventures
societies now find themselves subject to all manner of disorderly and into theOvertown district of Miami during the I9B2 riots.This ruggedweapon
fires a wide variety of 37-mm projectiles.
riotous behavrour or assembly which, if left unchecked could topple the
very establishment of written and unwritten laws by which modern
societies exrst. Many of these drsorders are instigated by particular The arsenal is now quite extensive, ranqing from disabling agrents to
factrons of society for their own ends, while others are the result of baton rounds Contained rn the arsenal are some odd weapons' such as
extreme or imagined inlustices, or of deprivatron. Many other causes water cannon and rmpact weapons, There are even speciahzed vehicles
can be adduced but the result is outbursts that the established forces of that are produced with little more than internal security and rrot- or
law and authorrty have to contain as best they can, crowd control 1n mrnd, Several of them are included rn this study but the
To marntarn order most modern police and tnternal security forces contents cannot cover the entrre internal security- and riot-control
now have access to a wide range of equrpment Much of 1t ts very scene Thrs ls now a very large area that comprises not only the pollce
specrahzed and designed to produce a specific end, i e. the rapid and assocrated paramihtary forces but also the mrlrtary who are often
re-estabhshment of an ordered and lawful situatton wtth a mintmum oi dralted rn to help out when a populace qets troublesome
force and casualttes Many modern anti-riot munittons are therefore
non lethal in their effects they are meant only to dlsable temporarily or
Hotspur Armoured Products offer a useful internal security vehicle based on
to persuade r'r,'rongdoers to act otherwise. Lethal weapons are maln the chassis of a Land Rover. Vehicles designed for this role must provide
tarned in the antr not weapons arsenal but usually only for use as a last protection againstweapons from petrol bombs and crowl>ars to grenades
resort andmines.
F:ii: if i:ri;r 1:
r4{.q:*4ryF,
4 rt:
i;=...=
: H*i t and Wesson No. 210 Shoulder Gas Gun
-:- addition to its well known hand oun The 37-mm (1.45-in) Smith and
a:irvities Smith and Wesson has dlso Wesson Shoulder Gas Gun is based
r:ade considerable inroads tnto the in- on the 'N frame' revolver, but is a
:emational not-control munttions mar- s ing Ie- s ho t we a pon which b re aks
ket. It has produced a wide range of open like a shotgun. Possible
murltions filled with everything from loadings include the No. I 4'Goliath'
rrntant aQients to smoke, and has also barric ade - piercing b aton/ C S ga s
bullt the weapons to launch them. One round.
of the most widely used of these laun-
chers is the Smith and Wesson No. 210 fins that impart better directional sta-
Shoulder Gas Gun. bility; these rounds also use a slightly
The No, 210 has a calibre of 37 mm heavier propellant chargre. The
(1.456 in), a riot-control munition heavier charge means that 'Tru-Flite'
calibre established in the USA (mainly rounds cannot be fired from the No,
by the efforts of Smith and Wesson) 2i0 shoulder gun's stable-mate, the No.
and now umversally accepted as the 209 Gas Pistol. Thrs has a much shorter
cahbre for the role. The basis of the barrel than the No, 210, and has a stan-
weapon is the frame of the Smith and dard revolver butt and frame,
Wesson 'N frame' revolver, but instead The No. 210 has been rn production
of usinq revolving chambers the No, for some years and is still in demand, It
2 I 0 is a single-shot weapon, The barrel cannot be said that rt is an'easy laun- moved over to the LiAi, though many Specification
breaks doum in shotgmn fashron, using cher to fire for some rounds produce Britrsh police forces retain the No, 210, No. 210 Shoulder Gas Gun
the frame as a pivot, The outline of the considerable recoil, and like many Smith and Wesson has recentlv de- Calibre:37 mm (1,456 in)
pistol butt can still be drscerned and in weapons of its kind it rs not particularly cided to leave the riot-control muni- Length;736,6 mm (29 in)
its place there is now a wooden butt accurate other than at very close tions market and has offered this side Weight: about 2. 7 kq (5.95 lb)
fltted with a much-needed rubber re- ranges. The Brrtish army has used the of its busrness for sale as a going con. Maximum range: long-range baton
coil pad, The frring mechanism can be type in Northern Ireland but has now cern. round 137 m(l50yards)
either single- or double-action and
there is an external hammer. The bar-
rel can be removed for carrying or
storage, and the weapon is usually
issued with a shoulder sling. Fixed
srghts are used for aiming,
The No. 210 can flre a wrde ranqe of
munitions, Some of these are rather
unusual, such as the No, 14 Goliath pro-
jectile which is a CS-carryinq baton
projectrle that can be fired through thrn
barricades, There are two types ofNo,
17 baton round, both thin metal cased,
the longer-ranged verston being fired
to about 137 m (150 yards). The No, iB
baton round is similar to the No, 17 but
uses a rubber slug with no metal cas-
ing, The No 2l is intended for closer-
ranqe situatlons and fires a dense
cloud of CS to a range of about 11 m
(35 ft), Some of these rounds can be
produced rn a 'Tru-Fllte' form with tail
2742
PPS-50 Bingham Carbine (continued) Riot Control Weapons
desisnation The Binqham design has drum magazrne over the recerver, lt without further ado rf the circle came to Speciflcation
a much longer barrel than the origtnal, was not a great success and appears to rest on him, The laser projector was PPS-50
but retains the drum magazine that have passed from the scene, but at the known as a Laser Lok and it would Calibre:5,56 mmQ.22 in) Long Rifle
now holds 50 rounds. AIso available time attracted a great deal of attention appear that the Brngham carbine Lengrths: overall 844 mm (33,23 in);
are curved or srratght box magaztnes because of its futuristrc sighting sys- would be an rdeal weapon to cafiy a barrel408.9 mm (19,09 in)
each holdinq 30 rounds A srlenced tem This was a laser projector under modern equivalent. It could then be Weight:empty 2.94 kq (6 48 Ib)
version is under development, for use the barrel that projected a crrcie of used in intemal security or prison riot Mrzzle velocity: about 330 m ( I 083 ft)
by Specral Forces. pink light calibrated to be directly tn situations to great advantaqe and con- persecond
The Bingham carbtne concepL is the trne of flrer so all a user had to do siderable saving of life. However the Magazine capacity: SO-round drum or
partially based on an earlier and simi- was place the laser circle on the target Laser Lok, despite the great interest 30-round box (curved or straight)
lar design known as the American i80 and the barrel was aligned. Quite shown in it durrng the early 1970s when
M-2, This also used ihe 5 56-mm Long apart from the armrnqr purpose, the it first appeared, did not catch on, and
Rifle cartridge and was basicallY a idea was that the tarqet would also see these days it lives on only in Hollywood
sub-machine qtun with an unusual the circle of pink light and gdve up eplcs
The F ederal Riot Gun is one of the Right: The British Army used the
Federal Riot Gun in Northern
mostwidely usedweapons of its
type, and serves with armies and Ireland, findingit to be areliable ;:*
€*-
police throughout the world. weapon, but its monstrous recoil and
inherent lack of accuracy did not *4.!
Manufactured in non-rusting alloys,
it is a double-action, single-shot gun endear it to the troops. It has been
with no exposed hammer. superseded by the LlAl.
Riot Control Grenades
A depressingly large number of regimes have litile
compunction in using the full force of the military to stamp out
civil disorder, but democratic governments seek other
alternatives. The use of gas and plastic bullets remains
subject to controversy, but itmustbe accepted that non-lethal
weapons are preferable to appalling incidents like'B loody
Sunday'and Kent State.
Riot-control grenades take two forms, chemical and kinetic. Chemical grenades
are designed to emit fumes that irritate or disable to the extent that they prevent
persons from carrying out a chosen course of action, i.e. they quell rioters. The
maln requirement of such agents is that they irntate or disable but do not
permanently harm. For nnany years the chosen irritant agent was tear gas, a
relatively harmless substance that does little more than bring tears to the eyes
and impart a general feeling of choking and helplessness. Tear gas is now
generally known as CN, but its proper chemical name is alpha-chloroaceto-
phenone.
The main disadvantage to tear gas was found to be that in open areas its
vapour cloud generally dispersed in such a manner that it easily lost its disabling
properties. lt was also relatively easy to get used to, and many f it young people
could carry on their disorderly activities after exposure to CN with only a
minimum of inconvenience. lnside a building it was often another matter, but in
the open tear gas was soon seen to be relatively inefficient as an anti-riot
weapon. Du ring the early 1 950s the search f or a new agent was made and a new
chemical, ortho-chloro-benzalmalono-nitrile, was put forward as an alternative
and efficient disabling agent. lt was not long before this new substance was
given the handy appellation CS.
CS is normally a solid substance, but on contact with air it forms a whrte or
light grey vapour cloud with a general odour of pepper (CS ls thus sometimes
known as pepper gas). The vapour can induce the usual tears, but with the
addrtion of a general choking sensation and difficulty in breathrng. The effect rs
d strnctly unpleasant and high CS concentrations may cause nausea and vomit-
ng. To add to its effects it can be persistent, especially if vapour dropiets adhere
to clothing. However, CS is not totally disabling and there are no long term
effects.
Left: The unacceptable face of law
enforcement? A police officer in
Washington, I 970, with CS gas
rounds for his RiotGun ready to
hand. Early gas rounds could be
picked up and thrown back, leading
to the development of multiple gas
pellets for rapid dispersal.
2744
Riot Control Weapons
CS was first used during the late 1950s and was soon found to be a remark
ably efficient method of Sreaking up mobs. At first it was usually delivered in
hand grenades that were exactly the same as the tear gas and smoke grenades
used previously. While these were eay to use and manufacture they suffered
from the same drawbacks as the earlier grenades. it took time for the vapour
cloud to build up, range was limited by the strength of the thrower (who thereby
came well into missil-e range of the offending crowd) and the grenades could be
prcked up by an adventurous rroter and thrown back. A redesign of the basic CS
grenade has therefore taken place
New grenade design
Modern CS grenades nearly all contaln small multiple contalners or pellets to
emit the CS f umes. As the grenade body lands it scatters these small containers
or pellets {the British L1 1A1 grenade releases 23) over a wide area, and the
emlssion period is usually short to prevent any possibility of their being returned
The othei design point ls that CS grenades are now rarely thrown, but rather
projected using a bmall propellant charge f rom a launcher to a range.of 100 m
i t Ob yarost or riore, t he larncher usually oe ng some-or- ol r iol gu"r' When r ol
guns are used the usual diameter of the grenade is 37 mm (1 .456 in), but this is The L67A 1 produced by the Royal Fabrique National have produced
iow generally regarded as being too smbll and the British army has opted for a Ordnance Factory atEnfield is in this grenade-launcher to fit on to the
qrenJde dlametel of 66 mm (2.6 in) and uses a specialized grenade-launcher service with the British Army. It fires FN C 5.5 6- mm light assault rifle ; or,
rather than riot guns. the L I 8A I CS gas round, which holds fitted with a stock, it can be used as a
CS is not the only modern form of irritant agent, but it is the most wldely used four gas pellets designed to burst weapon in its ownright.
Other irrltant agents are mild halluc nogenic agents that lmpart a temporary 6 m above the ground so the crowd
feel ng of panrC or fear, but the use of such agents is disliked by many on cannot pick up the gas canister and
humai taribn grounds, and they may thus be a double-edged weapon. Some of throwitback.
the'mlnd'agents have a nasty habit of being just as effective on their users as
on their lntdnded targets, evbn when respirators are used. Most pol ce and
parami itary resprrators are ljmited in their effectiveness to protection against CS
and CN only and some powerf ul modern agents could overcorne their protectlve
properties.
' Humanitar an considerat ons also come to the fore when kinetic grenades are
consrdered. These are usually the baton rounds or the infamous 'rubber bullets'
that are used to disab e by stunning. These kinetic projectiles were f irst mooted
during the 1950s, when some author ties considered their use rn riot situations
in whlch guns could not be used but something more powerfu than irrtant
agents wts requ red. At first dlsabl ng missiles of several types were cons -
dered, ranging from lead shot in thick bags to heavy rubber r ngs. These were
usually fire-d f rom ordinary rtol guns and lt was not long before the baton round ln
its present form appeared. Ai first wooden projectiles were used, but these
weie soon discarded as they were prone to spllnter ng and causing nasty
wounds. Then rubber was used for some time before it was discovered that
under certain clrcumstances rubber was also likely to be too njurious. The
current baton rounds are flat-ended PVC slugs that are not as heavy as rubber
but are stlll likely to impart a powerful blow.
Baton rounds ban cause serious injuries if used at very close ranges, and thev Above: The Hilton multi-purpose Erurl Below: British troops take cover fra!:.
have caused deaths. They are also very inaccurate and often have to be used is an anti-riot gunwhich can fire an a hail of missiles while one soldier
Tfore as area weapons than as point target weapons. But they can break up impressive variety of projectiles returns fire with a plastic bulJet. Tt e
hostile crowds and when used with extreme caTe can even disable riot r nglead- from gas shells to single and multiple British Army adopted IIat- no s ei Pi;C
ers or troublesome indlvlduals. They can certainly keep crowds out of hand- baton rounds. It is a far cry from the slugs in place of rubber baton
thrown mrssile range. Despite thls, the use of baton rounds has often resulted in simple, almost crude, riot guns rounds, which produced too matt'
a great public outciy against thelr employment. But in the absence of anything initially produced. fatalities. I n experienced hand s
belter the baton round ls an establlshed anti rlot munltion. lhese can be su rprising ly ac cur a :e.
='.". \.
__
-
=!"';{-:r-:
iurnn- I Multi-Round Projectile-Launcher
=
The MM-I is one of a new breed of
anti-riot weapons that uses a rotary
maqazine to hold a number of anti-riot
rounds ready to fire; in the case of MM-
t
1 thrs magazine holds L2 rounds The
MM-1 has been desigped for situations
where a singrle anti-riot round would
be oi limrted use mosl currenl antl-not
weapons are single-shot only and have
to be reloaded manually after every
firing. In the face of a mob rushingt
directly at a frrer that single round is
otren insufflcienr ro deter everyone in
the mob, and the firer can easily be
overwhelmed,
With the MM-l this is far less likely
to happen Using the MM- I it is possi
ble to flre 12 rounds in as few as srx
seconds, somethrng that mrght make Above: The basic design of a rotary
m ag a zine gre n ade - launcher date s
even the most determined mob have
second thoughts The rounds are held from before World War II . Most anti-
rn ]2 chambers on a rotating plate as riot guns are single-shotweapons
each round is flred a spring mechan- which obviously render the firer
Lsm brinqs the next chamber into line
temporarily vulnerable while he
,r,nth the barrel ready for another pull reloads.
ol the trigger. The MM-L has no butt,
berng held by the firer by a foregrip
and a pistol grip behind the large and
bulky magazine After each loadingr I
,he chamber plate rs wound up by
:urninqtit in a counter-clockwrse direc-
rlon to tension the sprinq mechanism.
The MM-l can flre either 37-mm
.i.456-1n) or 4O-mm (1 575-in) antr-riot
nunitrons of all kinds, and adaptors
:an be used to flre conventional shot-
;un cartrrdqes, Flares can also be
-:ed The maximum rangTe is about
,2C m (131 yards), but this capability is
,=ss rmportant to most users than the
::cck effect ol a number of rounds Above : Pace H ollwood, the MM- I is
:erng fired rn rapid successron This is the USA Europe and Africa and the Specification not a lightpiece ofkitbutoffers a
::: the only advantage of the MM- 1 for MM-l 1s now a widely-used weapon MM-I number of advantages over mote
r--5 1t one man can lay down a wide CS The only problem that arises is that it ts Calibre: 37 or 40 mm (1.456 or 1.575 in) conventional designs. One man can
:: smoke screen from a range of over a bulky weapon and it takes some time Length:546 mm (21.5 in) lay a large smokescreen or generate
-J m (109 yards). This fact has been to reload, The MM-i rs produced by Weight:loaded 9 kq (19.84 lb) abig cloudof CS gas amongsta
:ap.dly appreciated by many police Hawk Engrineerinq Inc. of Northfield, Range:up to 120 m (13L yards) crowd from outside the range of
special forces in the Middle East, Illinors Magazine capacity: l2 rounds. hand-thrown missiles.
--j
In most countnes the greater part of the army comma4der and the pohtrcal consequences of
budget rs spent in manning equrpprng and tanks' being brought on to the streets.
trarning for conventronal military operations Srnce the requirement for specralized rnter
wrth tanks, reconnatssance vehicles armoured nal security vehicles flrst emerged many com-
personnel carriers, air-defence weapons, artrl panies have devoted consrderable effort to the
lery etc, desLgn and development oi n'heeled vehicles
B.-rL in the .aSt 25 TearS OI So r11on! otrTl-^. lol uS'- -fl -t-11€lflol soc-ri'v ope,orlOnS
have found themselves being used in rrot con- The hull must provrde complete protection
trol and internal security operations for which agaLnst attack from at the very least 7.62 mm
they have not been trained or equrpped (0 3 in) ball ammunrtion Some countrles want
In the case of armoured vehlcles thrs has 1ed protectron aqtatnst 7 62-mm armoul -pterctnq
tothedevelopmentofarmoured,rehiclesspe- ammunttion as well but thts means armour
crflca11y for use in rnternal security operations, must be much thicker, a factor which increases
Full-tracked armoured personnel carriers the werght of the vehicle signrflcantly
such as the M1l3 are not surted lor use rn in some countries the terrorist's most com-
nternal security operations for a variety of mon weapon rs the mine olten lard tt.L culverts
reasons including the hrgh cost ol operating under roads tn remote areas, and intended lor
-nd maintarnrng a tracked vehicle compared detonation when a vehicle tuns over them.
,'.-rth a wheel vehicle the size and lack of man More oiten than not such mines are exploded
,euvrabrlity of such vehrcles rn ccnfined by remote control so that the terrorist can htt
: oaces the lack of provrsion for the tnfantry to just a mrlitary or para mrlitary vehtcle, allowing
,se their weapons lrom wrthrn the vehrcle in ctviltan traffic to pass tn safety.
::mplete safety the lack of doors lor raprd If the mtne is a standard antt-personnel mtne
=:.:ry and exii, poor observation tot Onu"r u3?,,.
?
A longer appearing on the world's,W - ':Wi
scene no
:creens becau se of rigorous press censorship by L
:he South African government:SADF regular "at .
F
:l...
;: r -.,--. '.,,.*r€.=
,..."
R.iot Control v'/eap ons
or small antL tank mrne the vehtcle destqner the means oi entry and exit musl be as nurner
can help to minimtze the damaqe to the vehrcle ous as possible Ii lor example the matn door
b-v carelul desrgn oi the hull armour so that the were at the rear and the vehicle -was ambushed
blast is deflected sidev,tays and up-,ro'ards and from the rear, the occupants v,-oulci noi be able
nol contarned -rlthrn the hu]] of the t ehtcle For to leave the vehicle rn safety The doors and
example, the British Saxon vehrcle has rntegral handles must be desrgned so that unauihorrzed
hrrll .r,irth the areas above the rn'heels being of -^ntry rs not possrble and there irust be no
sheet steel so that lhey blow'a.way in ihe event attachments that assist rioters to chmb onto the
oi a vehicle runnrnq over a mlne. Th" Sculh vehicle
Aincan Rhrno and Bulldoq armoured person The tyres must be of the run flat type to
net carriers have a V shaped hrll rarsed -ruell enable the vehrcle to be drtven some distance
abcve ihe wheels so that if the vehrcle runs r,vith bullet damaged tyres The vehrcle should
:rer a mine lhe wheels and suspension lake also have a fire detectton anC suppression sys
.r: blast not the hull. l-om, especrally around the n'heel arches rio
t-^rs often throw pelroL bombs al the internal
Diesel fuel preferred secunty vehrcle s rubber tyres .whrch easrly
lLese1 engines are preferred to per.rol en catch flre.
: n:srrL rnternal security vehtcles not only be The rool of the internal securtty vehtcl'o must
.a-.se tney are more fuel efficient bul because be sloped so ihat any qtrenacles that are throt'i'n
dr:sel iuel ioes not catch flie as e;istly as pet- onlo the roof roli olf before explcdinq The
ro. ,r an1- case the posrtron of the luel tank 1s openrnqrs around the doors and enqine com Above: The Buffel is one ofSouth A{rica's increas:ng
cnirca. rn an internal securlly vehtcle parr.ment musr oe carefully designed so that range of home-produced military vehicles, and :ts
any flamrnq liqurds frcm petrol bombs run design re{lects South African combat experience
Tle ccmmander, drtver and lroops must both at home and in operations jn Nam jbja anc
ha,ie e.'.cellen1 all-round f,elds of vrsron lhrough dovrrn lo lhe orci-Lnd and not tnlo :he ';ehrcle
Angola.
rn-rnici.,s -,-rhrch rnust provrde the sanie degree
of prc:eclron as the remainder of the hull. The
comnanders and drrvers wtndorns niust have
r,r,rper and spectal cleantnq liqutds to remove
any parnt thrown by demonstralcrs.
The crew must be able io use therr small
.--,lrns ironr -,,r,,rthrn ihe vehrcle ti requrred and
==
,ii ',
:i=:{
:
Riot Control Vehicles
Buffel
The LIAI replaced thevarious grcnade launchers acquired by the British The LIAIis designed to fire 550-9 CS gas grenades into a crowd from outside
Army when troops were sent toNorthernlrelandin 1969.ltis a single-shot the range of hand-thrown missiles- 1ts grenades are so designed as to make it
muzzle loader which fires its grenade electrically, current being provided by impossible for rioters to smother them or throw them back.
a pair of standard U2 dry cells.
NfZ ,:
ffi Arwen
fhe Arwen (Anti-Riot Weapon
ENfleld) is somethinq of an innovation
and certainly an advanced desiqn rn
comparison wrth many contempor-
ales lt is a very sophrsticated piece of
engnneering that can perhaps be cal-
led a weapon system as it rs a not
munitron launcher alhed to a novel
lange of ammunitron. The Arwen is
produced by Royal Ordnance, Small
Arms Drvisron, at Enfleld Lock, Mid-
dlesex.
Arwen has a cahbre of 37 mm
l1 456rn) and may be considered as
:',ro tubes ;orned togtether by a rotary
nagazine. The rear tube holds a butt
plate and can be adjusted telescopl-
:ally to suit the firer. The rear tube is
'cined to a firing mechanism complete
, a-
Arwen (continued) Riot Control Weapons
r,rih pistol grrip, while the forward tube
: the barrel with its corruqtated cool-
-:g proflle. The barrel is fitted with a
-:regrip, also adjustable in position to
::rt the firer. Between these sections is
:e rotary magazine that holds flve
:: :nds The finng mechanjsm is srm-
;-e and controlled by the trigger Pull-
--3 the lngger rotates the magazine
',:rirl a round is in line wrth the cham-
:er. Further trigqer pressure fires the
::und. Leaf sights are provided, for
-:-rwen is more accurate than most
s-rLriar weapons,
Five types of round are flred from
-:-:.'ven, althouqh not all may be en-
::intered operationally. The main
--:--riot munition is a baton round with
: rushroom-shaped head that pro-
-"--res the PVC pro;ectile with a good
:. ]'strc trajectory, allowingr deliber-
r:3 aun at point tarQlets to be made
-:e others include a CS round, a
.::eening smoke round a baton round
','.--:h a CS element and a round that
WEST GEBMANY
SOUTH AFBICA
r:--::=::-=El
tfl Stopper
Recent events in South Africa have The matt black flnish is covered with a
tended to hide the fact that civll unrest thln film of dry lubricant that prevents
has long been a feature of South Afri- rust and other corrosion over the entire
ca's mixed racial society, and the service tife of the weapon. Stopper ls
police forces there have always been usually issued fitted with a shoulder
well schooled in antrriot tactics and s1ing.
equipment. One of their latest items of The main anti-riot rounds used wtth
equipment that has been prominent in Stopper are CS and the usual baton
newsreels is a riot control weaPon rounds, The baton rounds are simple
known as Stopper, flat-nosed PVC or rubber slugs with no
Stopper is an orthodox design with a design frnesse, while the CS rourid is
smooth-bored barrel havinq a calibre also a straightforward design that
of 37 mm (1,457 in) It is used to fire a starts to emit fumes following a 1 5-
variety of projectiles includinq baton second delay after firing Both rounds
rounds, irritant agent rounds and even use aluminium cartridge cases. The CS
paramilitary rounds such as smoke and round continues to emit gas for be-
illuminating The weapon itself is very tween srx and 25 seconds depending
simple, being lrttie more than an over- on the local conditions. It has been de-
sized break-open shotgun with a body monstrated that rt can be grrasped and
made from metal stampinqs. The twtn thrown while still emitting its CS fumes.
pistol grips are interchanQteable and Stopper can be fired from the shoul-
the butt is a simple assembly that re- der or htp and Lrs etfective range is
tracts into the body when not required limited to a maximum of about 100 m Specification The Stopper is abrutallY simPle
Rudrmentary sights set at 50 m (55 (109 yards). It can be flred to a max- Stopper 37-mm smooth-bore riot gun firing
yards) are provided. Stopper is very rmum of approximately 3OO m (328 Calibre:37 mm (1 457 in) either CS gas shells or baton rounds.
easy to use as little more rs required of yardst. bur aI lhal range t is very tn- Lenqths: butt extended 700 mm The twin pistol griPs are
the user other than knowing how to accurate and baton rounds will have (27,56 rn); butt retracted 506 mm interchangeable, and the buttcan
ioad it (just like a shotgun) and pulltng virtuaily no stopping power, lt is also (19.92 rn); barrel390 mm (15,35 in) retractinto the body of theweapon'
the triggper after pulling back the ex- not very accurate even at its operation- Weight:with slinq 3.7 kq (8, 157 ]b) Its matt black finish is covered with
iernal hammer. Stopper has been pro- al ranges and can only be used effec- Range: operational 50 to I00 m (55 to dry \ubricant to Protectitfrom
duced with the realization that lt will tively as an area weapon unless the 109 yards); maximum 300 m (328 corroslon.
target is very close yards)
Q'et very little care in use or storage
;
_:A
Anctomg oI c Riot
Televisionpictures of burning cars and a stone-throwing mob embattledwitharmy
or police units give the impression of total chaos, but experience has shown that
crowd behaviour tends to follow certain patterns. whichever service has the
disagreeable task of riot control, the aim is to limit the damage and ultimately break
up the mob without recourse to unneccessary violence.
It has been argued that, in a democracy, va have every reason (rndeed the right) to be
rious forms of violence (ranging from assasstna- there, plus a generally-held sense of grie-
:ion to a well-placed rotten egg) can be and vance, Thirdly, a growrng awareness of their
often are a legrtimate defence against drcta- (the crowd's) potential power is needed.
:orshrp, incompetence and even chronic pom- Fourthly, there must be an incident or series of
posity, This is not to suggest that all windbag incidents that will increase tension, And flfthly,
pohtrcians should be shot, but merely to point there is a need for instigators who will do their
rut thai acts ol violence are as much part of the damnedest to make sure that the crowd turns
!:lrtical process as election promises, kissing into a mob, producing a riot and loss of control,
cabies and deals struck in smoke fllled rooms, Thrs last is most importantr riots very rarely, if
Of course, whether an act of polrtrcal vio- ever, erupt spontaneously; and having
-ence rs;ustified or not depends very much on erupted, they have little or no sense of direc-
:ne's point of view; and one cannot argue that it tion of their own, The crowd of human indi-
s justified as long as it represents the will of the viduals becomes an antmal-like herd, with a1l
rajorrty, because the majority can often be as the instincts of not too savaQte sheep, at least
-apleasant as any dictator, or simply may not until something trrggers off the violence and
lare one way or the other, the sheep turn nasty. Thrs trrggerrng phase
The time-honoured method of expressing may only last a few minutes, but is an extremely
:-sapproval en masse remains the humble riot, vital onet 1t is at this stage that authority must try
=d democracyfear the world over owes much to
of the mob, Paradoxically,
to disperse the mob, not by appeahng to their
=::vernmental better natures, but by panicking them and forc-
: ahtarian regimes very often owe their exist- ing them, rf possible, to spht up into smaller
-:-ce to control of the mob. So if a rrotrng mob groups which will lack the collective courage
r:Dresents society's lowest common denomi, of the larger herd,
-=:or, rt could be argued that both fascism and All sorts of example spring to mind, but be-
r::nmuntsm are tn one sense more democratic fore we look at riot-control methods, rt is worth
-:. more responsive to the demands of the looking at a few riots that have been dehber-
,:-,-rer sections of socrety) than are other more ately started and tbat have had a defimte effect
-ieral regimes, Whether or not the lower sec- on history. Remember that a riot is effective
--rs ol society should be heard in the first because it purports to show that the powers
:-ace has been debated for many, many that be have lost control, are no longer capable
:-:usands of years: if nothrng else, Pontius Pi ol keeping order and should therefore be re-
-::e made a very democratic decision. But be- placed. Of course, in truth it probably does not
::e one gets carried away with the ldea that all mean anything of the sort, but it is interesting to
:-,bs, all riots are composed of the uncaring, note that the recent football riots have been
:,: uninformed and the unwashed, it must be blamed as much on varrous authorities as on
s=-i that the collective IQ of the mob will rapid the thugs who staried them. The French stu-
- ,'snk to the IQ of the stupidest people present, dent riots of the 1960s resulted from a more
A British police officer, Tottenham I985: it noa.
-:-ere is something about the sheer violent ex, widespread (and fashronable) support for the seems only amatter of time beforeplastlcbuy',les
--aration of being part of a mob that appeals to militant Left that in itself spawned the Baader-
-:,: animal (and possibly the trrbai) instinct in will be used inmainland Britain.Whether itwou:c
Mernhof Gang, the Red Brrgade and other poh-
. ' cf us, And quite often it is the most rational tical killers, In the 1970s rroting in predomrnant-
be sensible to create a paramilitary anti-riot urlr:
along the lines of European forces like theFrenc!
j
-- civilized of human beingswho are capable ly black areas of Detroit set integration in the CRS remarhs op en to debate.
:, -re worst excesses of mob vtolence. Being USA back years. Similarly, present-day rioting
: -. of a mob gives one a (morai) licence to krl1, tn South Africa, with as many if not more people
r:s-roy and maim since a collective responsi- A petrol bombis hurled atBritish troops in the
killed by the rioters as by the police, has re- Bogside area ofLondonderry. The use of plastc
: -:v takes over from personal moraltty. It is for sulted in a degree of sympathy betng shown by bullets always excites controversy but. faced u"i:L
-:--: reason that a riot remains one of the most the West for a basically unsympathetic regime, a dou s ing fr om bu r ning pe tr o 1, lie so/djer rn us I be
=-=riive weapons imagrnable; and why the allowed to take action.
,:r--,'oklng and leading of a riot is the stock in
.:-1e of any skilled political acttvtst anywhere;
riots result in so much bitterness, At
=-i',l,hy
:: end of the day rioters will excuse them
-==--"'es their'own acts of violence, but remem-
::: -,-rvidly those acts of violence that the au-
:-,:-:ies were forced to use to prevent the riot
:----rg totally out of hand,
-:- cther words, ex-rloters will tend to say
--i oossrbly even to belleve) that they were
i:::=C rnto ammal-like behaviour because of
_,--rer person's (authority's) actions; that dur-
--I -,:re riot they were carried along on the
:=:-:ral tide of violence and thus were not
=:-::rsible for their own actions.
:-,: ,-;e can begin to define the factors leading
,: :: 1n 'effectlve' rrot Frrstiy, there must be a
-:r:::: icr a large number of people to be rffiffi
= =:-:red
together in one place (a demonstra-
',:: = .cod queue, a football match, a visiting
: -; :-:r cr whatever). Secondly, there must be
- :=:-=:"rly-held beliel by the crowd that they
Anatomy of a Riot
Water Cannon
them to cause anything worse. Another carrier and is desiqned to deliver short get operational, and once their tanks
One of the most effective anti-rtot
weapons is water and when flred from advantage is that water is cheap and 'slugs' of water at point targets up to are empty theY maY take even longer
a water cannon it becomes even more Lrsually p1entiful. AIl that is requlred to 40 m (43,7 yards) distant. The effect of to refill, In some situations the mere
make water Into an anti-riol weapon is one of these sluqs has been likened to srgtht of water cannon vehicles can in-
effective For many years the water
to pass it through a water pump. These receiving a heavy blow from a fist, and flame tensions or passions to a danger-
cannon has been used to disPerse
crowds and mobs for the simPle are usually easy to fino. often in a anyone hit by such a slugt is llkely to ous level,
well Few mobile form lose interest in the local proceedings But for all these drawbacks water
reason that it works verY
doters will stand in the path of a water Water cannon rarelY car.rse much for some time but is not likelY to be cannon are still very useful antt-riot
damaqe to buildings and installations, permanently harmed, The SWD has weapons, Even the most determined
.1et without taking protectlve action rioter cannot remain long ln the path of
which usually takes the form of running They may cause temporarY flooding not yet been used 'operationallY',
and associated nuisance but rarely Water cannon have their limttations, a powerful water jet, and lt should also
away. If high-pressure hoses are used
the sheer effort of simply standing up- more, There is also a simPle waY that however, In many urban centres they be noted that the dislike of water by
right becomes difficult and any ideas water can cause rtoters to be singled mrght not be able to qet near their crowds ts so intense that few riots take
oul for later apprehenston. mxing a intended targTets as they cannot get place in the rain.
of riotous behavtour usually vanish,
dye with the water marks rioters in a past parked vehicles or barricades,
Water cannon have manY other
advantages to their users, High on the manner they cannot easllY remove They are also limited in range, Other
Specialized types of water cannon than on a few of the more specialized Water Cannon, seen here in actionin
Iist is that such devices rarely cause West Germany, have proved useful
serlous casualties to produce the mar- hav-e been produced, One still kept in designs the useful range is limited to
reserve in Northern lreland is known about 30 m (33 yards), well withln anti-riot weapons especially in chilly
tyrs so beloved of many causes, Water
j6ts may cause bruises bY knocking Water Dispenser' This is
as the Speciai thrown-missile range, Unless they are weather, although they do not deter
people over, but it is uncommon fot mounted on an old Saracen armoured ready prepared they take some time to the really hard-core rioter.
k# a{;{'---
four support/harbour tankers. For other work there Air-defence and ground-attack duties are handled Typifying the Canberras still flying and
two fighter groups totallrng five squadrons. One periodically coming to W ar ton for re{urbishment,
are seven survey/research craft and some 20 aux- by
group fl es two squadrons with some 25 mod- this Mk72 is from the Peruvian air force'sJorge
iliaries. A small 600-man coastguard extsts for coas- Chavez base. Two squadrons fly 3l aircraft of
tal patrol duties with 12 large and '1 2 small armed ernrzed Dassault Mirage 5Ps and f ive Mirage 5DPs, three marks, tasked with bombing, and another
patrol cr:aft. 1O other Mirage SPs having been transfened to unit has two trainers and I I ex-RAF Canberras.
The Servicio Aeronaval de la Marina Peruana, or Argentina dur ng the last days of the Falklands war
naval air force, has three ASW/marrtime patrol to replace heavy lAl Dagger losses. The th rd squad- C-47s, whilst the former have at their disposa some
squadrons flying seven Grumman S-2E Trackers, ron flres anothe r 12 or 13 Cessna A-37s, but is due to 50 transports, of which the rnost lmportant are four
two Fokker F.27MPA Maritimes, three EMBRAER re-equrp wrth 11 Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000Ps Lockheed L-100/C-130H Hercules, two Dougias DC-
El\,48-1 11 and four Beech Super King Air 82007 and two Mirage 2000DPs currently on order. The B-62Fs, 13 Antonov An-26 'Curls' and 14 DHC-5
fixed-wing aircraft and about 12 SH-3D/H Sea King number was actually to be twice this, but f inancial Buffaloes. A liaison group operates two squadrons
hel copters. A utility helicopter squadron flies four problems caused the order to be halved. lt is also of Beech King Air, Beech Oueen Air and Beech 99
Bell 206s, six Bell UH-1D/H 'Hueys' and s x Agusta- believed that a f urther 30 Mirage 50Ps were ordered tw n-engined aircraft between the main military
Bell AB.212ASWs. The last are equipped to carry at the same tlme for strike duties but the status of bases and populatron centres. Rotary lift is prov ded
and fire Sea Killer ASMs, and are used from the this order is at present in question for the same by a single group with independent f light elements
'Lupo' class frigates. For fleet support/liaison role reasons. The other group has only two squadrons usrng some 59 helicopters of seven different types
(eight Alouette llls, slx Mi-6s, f ive Mi-Bs, three Nl BB
there is a transport unit with two Douglas C-47 but f lies the 46 survivors of 56 Soviet Sukhoi Su-20/
Dakotas, one Douglas DC-3 and two Cessna'1 5Os, 22 'Fitter' ground-attack fighters suppl ed in the BO 105Cs, nine Bell 206s,'l 6 Bell 212s, and 12 Bell
whilst for aircrew training a mixed squadron f lies srx 1970s. These compr sed 36 Su-22 'Fitter-F' and 16 21 4STs).
Beech T-34A/Cs, four Bell 47Gs, and four Bell 206s. Su-22BKL 'Fltter-J' single-seaters and four Su-20U The Academla del Alre provides all aircrew train-
'Fitter-E' two seaters with provision for 'Atoll' rng with four squadrons flying 55 Cessna T-41D
The Air Force AAMs. piston-engined and T-378/C and Macchi M.B 3394
Although showrng up poorly in the recent border For COIN and army support misstons an attack let-engined tralners. The last was, in lts M.8.339K
skirmishes with Ecuador, the Peruvlan air force helicopter un t is being formed wlth a dozen Mil Veltro ll single-seat attack jet form, to have been
(Fu6rza Aerea del Peru) is one of the most modern Ml-25 'Hind' helicopters. A imited reconnaissance produced locally, but financlal problems appear to
on the South Amerlcan contlnent, The matn attack capability is provided for by a s ngle squadron with have halted for the tlme being th s replacement for
element is formed by a bomber group of three six customized civil tw n-engined jets and ptston- the Cessna A 37.
squadrons, two of whrch fly the survivors of eight engined alrcraft. The Gates Learjet in its various forms has found its
B(l) Mk B, one B(l).Mk 78, three T.lVk 74, six B.Mk Long-range transport and army resupply/para- way into the inventories of several air arms around
72, six B(l).Mk 56 and 12 B(l).Mk 68 English Electric troop missions are flown by two transport groups the world. Typical are two Model 25Bs operated by
Canberra light bombers delivered from the mid- with three squadrons, and the Natlonal Jungle Air Peru for survey work on behalf of the Directorate
1950s onwards. The third flles 12 or 13 Cessna Transport f leet. The latter f lies de Havllland Canada General ofPhotographicAir Survey and Mapping
A-378 Dragonfly light attack jets. DHC-6 Twin Otters. Pilatus Turbo-Porters and some from Las Palmas.
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