The Invisible War (non lethal weapons documentary)
megaupload link to video, 200mb / 52mins (commercials removed)
Aired 17/07/07 on
SBS TV
Produced by
The Cutting Edge
I watched this doco' last night on channel SBS from a really good show called "The Cutting Edge" which is a show that takes an unbias look into
some of the important current affairs topics.
This week they took a look at Non lethal weapons that the police forces are implementing such as Tasers, rubber bullets etc.
They talk about a range of things from various non lethal weapons like
- shotguns loaded with bean bags, rubber bullets, wood/rubber/foam cylinders.
- Both types of Taser (m26 "point contact" taser and X26 "pistol" taser with the cables)
- A small segment on capsicum sprays
- MICROWAVE WEAPONS !
(@ 22min mark)
and how they have actually caused some deaths and serious injuries due to inapropriate and over use.
It also shows how the police departments of today want an easy way of doing things (quote) "so police dont have to break a sweat or have their shirt
untucked while capturing a non compliant citizen"(end quote) and that they are being used more and more on peaceful non-compliant citizens as a "do
as i say or ill zap you again" form of forced compliance.
one officer (quoted above) lost his job for refusing a direct order to taser a passive non-comp. citizen so they could be handcuffed by other
officers, he felt there was many other ways besides the taser.
One of the things that really stuck in my mind from it is when they mention that when the police force starts implementing military weapons and
tactics that they start toact like the military with intimidation tactics (baton's, riot shields for unarmed protestors) and that along with this
they start to employ people who return home from military service and anyone who normally would not pass a police psychological test are being
employed as private law enforcement contractors both of which result in an over-use and reliance upon these weapons as an easy way of doing things,
with the end result being an enforcement of compliance upon citizens as opposed to enforcing the law to protect them.
They speak with one man who has decided to fight Taser int'l over the claims made by them to sell weapons to police eg "never killed or harmed
anyone" and "used to harmlessly take down Non-Compliant aggressive offenders" but in actual fact are rarely used for such instances and very
regularly used against protestors, small time drug dealers and non comp. traffic stops.
I found it to be very informative and eye opening, i hope you enjoy it too.
edit to fix links
[edit on 17/7/07 by Obliv_au]
[edit on 17/7/07 by Obliv_au]