Rubber bullets can maim and kill, study says

Associated Press

LONDON — Some types of rubber bullets used by police to restrain unruly protesters kill and maim too often to be considered a safe method of crowd control, new research concludes.

Rubber-coated bullets are intended to inflict superficial painful injuries to deter rioters. But a study of their use by Israeli security forces has found police often fire from too close and aim poorly. Even when fired properly, it said, the bullets are so inaccurate that they can cause unintended injuries.

The study, published this week in The Lancet medical journal, examined the effects of rubber-coated bullets used by the Israeli police force during riots by Israeli Arabs in northern and central Israel in early October 2000.

Those bullets are in fact made of metal encased in a rubber shell, and are different from the original rubber bullets first used in 1970 by the British in Northern Ireland.

The British rubber bullets were designed to be fired at the ground so that they would bounce up and hit the legs of demonstrators. Britain stopped using rubber bullets in Northern Ireland in 1975 in favor of shorter, less inaccurate plastic ones.

Other variations of rubber bullets are used in several countries, including the United States. These include rubber-coated metal bullets, rubber plugs, plastic bullets called baton rounds, and beanbag rounds — fabric beanbags about the size of a tea bag filled with lead pellets.

Each type has a different effect on the human body under different circumstances.

Mike McBride, editor of Jane’s Police and Security Equipment, said the Israeli findings have no bearing on other types of crowd control ammunition.

"There are lots of different manufacturers out there making lots of different types of riot control projectiles," McBride said.

Baton rounds, or pure plastic bullets, are used in Northern Ireland today. They are lighter, faster and more accurate than their rubber predecessors, McBride said.

"They’ve been used 166 times in Northern Ireland, twice in mainland Britain, and there have been no deaths associated with the use of those," he said.

In the United States, local police make their own decisions on what to use for crowd control, and methods vary across the country.

The study, conducted by doctors at the Rambam Medical Center at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa in northern Israel, involved 152 people who were admitted to hospitals in early October 2000 with a total of 201 wounds from rubber-coated bullets.

Israel says it uses rubber bullets and tear gas as non-lethal methods of crowd control to reduce casualties. However, former police commander Alik Ron told a public hearing last September into the Arabi Israeli riots that police were not trained to use rubber bullets and sometimes shot from a short — and lethal — distance at rioters.

In the study, the scientists documented for each patient which regions of the body were hit, whether the bullets penetrated the flesh, the severity of the injuries, surgeries that were needed and the final outcome.

There were two types of rubber-coated bullets used during the riots.

The first type, recommended for firing at the legs of a specific person from at least 131 feet away, is a blunt cylindrical missile composed of three metal cores coated in hard rubber shells. It is fired from a special canister that fits onto the muzzle of a gun. The bullet splits into three after it is shot.

The other bullet type is composed of 15 tiny rubber-covered metal balls packed together into a cartridge. When fired from the recommended distance, they disperse to form a circle about 22 feet across. This type of bullet is recommended for use against groups of people.

The researchers found the bullet injuries were randomly distributed all over the body. They were mostly in the limbs, but also frequently found in the head, neck, face and chest.

Bullets that hit the legs caused the least damage, while those that hit the face usually caused the most harm, often permanent.

"This type of inaccurate ammunition — one missile that breaks into three components immediately after firing — and the resulting ricochets evidently make it difficult or impossible to avoid severe injuries to vulnerable body regions such as the head, neck and upper torso," the study said.

Nearly 60 percent of the bullet wounds were above the belly button, which suggests the police were not always aiming at the legs, the study said.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Firefighters respond to a 911 call on July 16, 2024, in Mill Creek. Firefighters from South County Fire, Tulalip Bay Fire Department and Camano Island Fire and Rescue left Wednesday to help fight the LA fires. (Photo provided by South County Fire)
Help is on the way: Snohomish County firefighters en route to LA fires

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused at least 180,000 evacuations. The crews expect to arrive Friday.

x
Edmonds police shooting investigation includes possibility of gang violence

The 18-year-old victim remains in critical condition as of Friday morning.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River. Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council approves water, sewer rate increases

The 43% rise in combined water and sewer rates will pay for large infrastructure projects.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

Two students walk along a path through campus Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022, at Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. A group of nearly 20 community groups are planning to study how to make it easier for young people to find jobs. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Goal for Everett coalition: Make it easier for young people to find jobs

The organizations hope the months-long process will improve access to resources for young people.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.