bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Clifford Lo

Two new anti-riot guns have been given to Hong Kong police and could be used to guard against trouble when the city celebrates China’s National Day, on October 1.
The pistol-shaped weapons fire either balls of pepper powder or an irritating liquid pepper solution, both described as non-lethal.
Officers are also testing a third weapon, a wireless stun gun, that delivers an electroshock to disable suspects in a confrontation.
Force insiders told the Post that dozens of the imported pepper-loading guns and hundreds of rounds were delivered to each of the Police Tactical Unit’s five operational bases several months ago, but had not yet been officially deployed.

One police source said the weapons were part of anti-riot, “self-protection” gear for officers in frontline situations involving crowds. He added they would not be issued to beat officers for regular foot patrols.
The pepper ball-loading pistol allows the user to shoot five rounds containing balls of pepper powder that burst on impact.
The other weapon, the JPX4 jet gun, can be loaded to fire four rounds of a jet of liquid pepper solution.
Both cause intense discomfort on contact, affecting the eyes, nose and throat for several minutes.
The source said the weapons were light, easy to use, and convenient to carry.
“They are short-distance weapons designed to deal with smaller groups of people,” he said. “These devices are used to stop suspects from charging against police and to subdue them to avoid a scuffle or physical confrontation.”


Over the course of nearly a year, anti-government protesters and police were involved in violent confrontations, during which officers fired 19 live bullets, 16,233 rounds of tear gas, 10,108 rubber bullets, 1,885 sponge grenades and 2,033 beanbag rounds between June 2019 and May 2020.
The source said the new equipment provided frontline officers safer alternatives to firearms, tear gas or batons.
Although the social unrest in the city died down with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic last year, the source did not rule out the possibility of deploying the new weapons on National Day.
Two years after mass protests rocked Hong Kong, will unrest return?
Another source said: “Even though the weapons are being loaded into our vehicles during special operations, officers on the ground will only use them when necessary.”
He added that police would be gathering intelligence and conducting a risk assessment exercise before finalising their deployment plans for October 1.
The guns would only be issued to Police Tactical Unit officers trained to use them, the sources said.

At the height of the social unrest, the force set up a 6,000-strong anti-riot squad with officers from various sections joining those from the tactical unit.
Although the squad was disbanded last year, officers from the Emergency Unit and criminal investigation units will also be trained to use the new weapons.
So far, police have used guns that could be loaded with either about 100 pepper balls, or powerful jets that dispense pepper spray. Both are meant for use with larger crowds.
Beat officers were also equipped with pepper spray.
One of the sources said the new weapons covered a longer distance than those using pepper spray.
The Post has learned the weapons were imported before some Western countries imposed sanctions against the city after the introduction of the national security law last year.
The force is also considering arming officers with stun guns.
“Experts at the Police Tactical Unit headquarters in Fanling are now testing the use of two types of stun guns that include a wireless shocking device,” one of the sources said.


Man arrested following Hong Kong hotel assault classified as murder

Hong Kong police arrest drunk passenger for alleged assault on taxi driver

Hong Kong police arrest man over scams involving impersonation of mainland officers

Hong Kong police investigate after woman, 38, found dead in Yuen Long flat

Hong Kong police

Hong Kong police import new anti-riot guns for crowd control, ready to be deployed on National Day

Riot police fire tear gas as protesters march between Causeway Bay and Wan Chai in opposition to the national security law last year. Photo: Sam Tsang

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WEIBO === Image of  the JPX4 jet gun, can be loaded to fire four rounds of a jet of liquid pepper solution. WEIBO

=== PHOTO CAPTURED FROM WEIBO === Police use JPX4 jet gun during exercise. WEIBO

As Hong Kong police crack down on scattered protesters on National Day, ordinary residents fume over heavy security blanket

Police hold up a flag warning against breaches to the national security law in Causeway Bay on Thursday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Riot police officer hold the pepper spray at Paterson Street in Causeway Bay.  01OCT20 SCMP/ Sam Tsang

Police stop and search in Causeway Bay. 01OCT20 SCMP/ Sam Tsang

Police pulled 11 people to the side on Johnston Road in Wan Chai, including a father and his young son. Most of the 11 were wearing black, a protest colour. 01OCT20 SCMP / Jack Lau

China stakes claim on unmanned warfare with National Day show of drone force

The GJ-11 stealth combat drone is the shape of the Chinese military’s future, commentator Ni Lexiong says. Photo: Simon Song

Military vehicles carrying underwater drones travel past Tiananmen Square during the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China, on its National Day in Beijing, China October 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

(191001) -- BEIJING, Oct. 1, 2019 (Xinhua) -- A formation of unmanned combat armaments takes part in a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 1, 2019. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime


‘Non-lethal’ weapons fire pepper powder balls or jets of liquid that affect eyes, nose and throat
Police Tactical Unit experts also testing stun guns that use electroshocks to disable suspects



‘Non-lethal’ weapons fire pepper powder balls or jets of liquid that affect eyes, nose and throat; police experts also testing stun guns


Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong police import new anti-riot guns for crowd control, ready to be deployed on National Day

‘Non-lethal’ weapons fire pepper powder balls or jets of liquid that affect eyes, nose and throat Police Tactical Unit experts also testing stun guns that use electroshocks to disable suspects

‘Non-lethal’ weapons fire pepper powder balls or jets of liquid that affect eyes, nose and throat

Police Tactical Unit experts also testing stun guns that use electroshocks to disable suspects