Hong Kong protests: police to trial new anti-riot weapon for tackling violent disorder
- Pistol-shaped OC launcher fires irritant pepper solution and is more accurate and less harmful than existing devices, police say
- Hong Kong’s 2019 protests led the force to look for alternative anti-riot hardware that minimises the impact on bystanders
Hong Kong police will equip frontline officers with a new anti-riot weapon they say is capable of firing irritant pepper solution at targets with more accuracy than offered by existing hardware while inflicting less harm.
The force said some of its officers would be supplied on a three-month trial basis with the pistol-shaped OC launcher, an upgrade designed to deliver a faster and safer response to violent disorder.
The OC launcher is seen as less lethal than the pepper-ball loading guns currently in service, while offering more precision than spray canisters.
“As a responsible law enforcement agency, we need to develop and provide frontline colleagues with some suitable and different less-lethal weapon options to meet their operational needs,” said Superintendent Yuen Wing-hong of the Police Tactical Unit (PTU). He is responsible for training officers including those from the Emergency Unit.