How Safety Batons Are Used for Defense
Law enforcement officers have a variety of gear they use to keep themselves and others safe in dangerous situations. One of those items is the safety baton. Sometimes these are called “police batons” or “nightsticks.” The British also refer to them as truncheons. No matter what these short heavy sticks are called, most safety batons are made out of rubber, wood, metal, or polycarbonates (plastics). They are considered a category of non-lethal self-defense.
Haven Gear, the premier maker of advanced riot gear for the law enforcement industry, utilizes a couple of different safety batons for optimal use as a compliance tool in conjunction with their gear. Let’s look at the history of safety batons and how they are effectively used in law enforcement.
The History
In England, during the late 1800s the term “billy club” was coined for a safety baton. It was first used during the Victorian era, which began around 1837. The ones they used were engraved with the Royal Crest. This signified their authority as law enforcement to maintain public order.
They have been used extensively for riot control all over the world throughout the following decades. Some safety batons are a fixed length (straight batons), while others are collapsible (expandable), or have a side handle called a t-baton or Tonfa.
How they are Used and Training
When a safety baton is used and contact is made, it temporarily causes muscle pain and spasms because the nerve is damaged. Police officers avoid and are prohibited from hitting a person in sensitive areas like the spine, head, or groin area. They also don’t make contact with the chest or sternum area. A harsh impact to those regions can lead to problems breathing and run the risk of becoming a fatal injury. Laws were enacted after the 1970s to prevent the use of lethal force with a police baton. Police officers go through extensive and comprehensive training in order to use a safety baton properly with what is called a rapid response strike.
If an officer needs to use the safety baton, it is used by attacking the perpetrator in a large muscle group, like the thigh or bicep. The goal is not to break a person’s bones or strike lethally, but to stop them from making an aggressive attack with the potential for deadly force with a lethal weapon such as a gun or knife.
Who Uses One
Other people in law enforcement use safety batons, or handheld impact weapons, that aren’t police officers. Some of those people include security personnel, bodyguards, correctional officers in prisons, and military soldiers on patrol in combat situations. The safety baton is a great symbol of authority and works well in a variety of crowd control scenarios. The simple sight of a safety baton on an officer can instantly make the subject back down in many cases.
Types of Batons Haven Gear Offers
At Haven Gear, we offer two different types of safety batons. They are both straight batons made out of an advanced and highly durable form of polycarbonate. In our extensive research and development, we found that this form of heavy plastic is the most durable and effective in taking down criminals. Another benefit is that they are less expensive than tasers. Plus, it’s long-lasting and won’t warp or bend. We are proud to carry an extensive line of riot gear products. These products help us achieve the goal to protect men and women in law enforcement positions. Our safety batons are proven innovative defense technology at its finest.
The first size we offer is a 28-inch Anti-Riot Baton with a lanyard. The other size is a slightly larger one at 34 inches. Both of these offer effective protection for law enforcement in any situation where lethal force doesn’t need to be used.