Society has entrusted the police with power and obligation to enforce law, maintain order and protect its members and the legal order of society. To be able to fulfil these obligations the police need credible means of countering threats against these values. Selecting the weapons, or rather use of force instruments, presents a multifaceted problem of balancing human considerations, judicial and societal requirements with tactical needs and technological possibilities. No matter what the incident is, a police-officer is expected to protect the innocent, him/herself, colleagues and the object persons and to cause no more harm than is justifiable and unavoidable. Unfortunately there is no safe use of force and in real life the only option available for resolving certain conflicts is some degree of force. Any weapon can be misused but most weapons have a legitimate use. Denying legitimate use, as well as allowing uncontrolled use, may lead to unnecessary suffering and loss of life. Technology is offering interesting alternative possibilities to the police and these must be considered with open eyes, bearing in mind that misuse, like torture, is not a property inherent to technology but an intentional behaviour of some people. Thorough research and fair and credible controls on police weaponry are needed to avert the possibility of misuse and to maintain trust.

Conflict, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Familial undulatory nystagmus in Ayrshire bulls in Finland.

The article describes a familial, undulatory nystagmus in Finnish Ayrshire bulls. The nystagmus appeared as a high-frequency tremor with a small amplitude and it was similar in both eyes. The vision didn't seem to be affected. In three of the affected five bulls a slight paramyoclonia posterior ('stretches') was also noticed. A histological examination of the vestibular nuclei with the adjacent brain area revealed no abnormalities. The pedigree of the bulls suggests a recessive autosomal inheritance.

Animals↗