The use of force by the police Research Essay

Professionals’ opinions on when force should be used, how much force should be used, and how to evaluate the situation to determine how much force should be used have been sparked by the use of force by the authorities. The power Model demonstrates how the officers should apply varying degrees of power depending on the circumstance. The implications of the force use paradigm are covered in this essay.

The action Model offers recommendations on the appropriate level of action officers ought to employ in various situations. (Sewell, 2010). The force model should be the number. As evident in the diagram, the center is a situation in which the officer shifts from examining the situation to planning and then acting. The suspect should be judged as cooperative, passive resistant, or active resistance. The subject might also be assaultive or likely to cause death or serious bodily harm to him/herself or others. The officer then takes actions based on the level of subject’s resistance. The actions range from simply being present at the scene, to tactical communications, physical control, the use of soft-impact weapons, to use of hard-impact weapons. The introduction of the model implies that not all situations require force to deal with the suspect (Harte, 2015). The force should also be proportional to the resistance from the subject. The model suggests the use of reasonable and progressive force proportional to the level of resistance from the subject.

In the case the subject is cooperative the officer does not need to use force (CCLA, 2017). Instead, the member can communicate with the subject and control him/her. However, if the subject shows passive resistance, the officer can use soft force (CCLA, 2015). The choice of force progresses to lethal force when the subject’s resistance is likely to cause serious bodily harm or death of the officer or people around. As indicated on the model, in some cases even lethal force might not work (MacCharles, 2015). In such case, the security officer is justified to use intermediate weapons to control the subject.

In conclusion, the Force Model demonstrates progressive choice of the amount of force proportional to the resistance from the subject. The model has been introduced to avoid cases of the use of force in circumstances that do not require the use of force.

References

CCLA. (2015). Thinking about police use of force. Retrieved from https://ccla.org/thinking-about-police-use-of-force/

CCLA. (2017). Policing and public safety policing powers, use of force and police accountability. Retrieved from https://ccla.org/focus-areas/policing-and-public-safety/policing-powers-use-of-force-and-police-accountability/

Harte, P. (2015). Police use of force: Where is the line? CBC News, 28 May 2015. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/police-use-of-force-where-is-the-line-1.3090829

MacCharles, T. (2015). Better police training, reporting on the use of force needed, the report urges. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/05/21/better-police-training-reporting-on-use-of-force-needed-report-urges.html

Sewell, J. (2010). Police in Canada: The real story. Toronto, ON: J. Lorimer & Co.