Understanding How Riot Control Actually Works in Practice

There are way more riots taking place all across the world these days than there were just a decade ago. In fact, one recent report revealed that there were about four times as many riots in 2018 as there were in 2011.

During these riots, it’s been very important for police forces to step in and perform riot control. They’ve stopped riots from getting even worse than they were.

These police forces have armed themselves with the right riot control gear and riot control equipment. They’ve also taken the right approach to riot prevention in an effort to maintain some semblance of control.

Here is a quick breakdown of how riot control works in practice.

Police Begin by Keeping a Close Eye on Large Gatherings That Could Turn Into Riots

Police forces can’t afford to wait until riots begin to start practicing riot control. They have to monitor large gatherings to ensure that they’re able to stay one step ahead of any oppressive regimes that might riot.

To do this, they’ll often use things like this surveillance tower. It puts them in the perfect position to get a bird’s eye view of everything that’s happening down on the ground.

They Spring Into Action and Use the Right Riot Control Tactics to Calm Things Down

In the past, police forces used to basically form one long line during riots and walk into the middle of a crowd of people to stop them from rioting. They had more powerful equipment than rioters did back then, so they didn’t have to worry about getting overwhelmed by rioters.

But these days, it’s not uncommon at all for rioters to be armed during riots. So police forces line up in this way as they approach them:

• Front echelon
• Gas officers
• Team leaders
• Arrest teams
• Rear echelon

This provides the police with an opportunity to stop rioting more effectively. It has become one of the best riot control tactics around.

They Resort to Drastic Measures to Stop Riots When Necessary

Oftentimes, police forces can stop riots in their tracks by using the technique that we just mentioned. But if a riot is really out of control, they’ll have to call in reinforcements and take drastic measures.

This will typically involve them pulling out riot control rounds and shooting them into crowds of people to get them to retreat. They’ll also sometimes use gas and even animals like horses and dogs in an effort to intimidate rioters and send them scurrying for cover.

It’s Very Important for Police to Practice Riot Control

It’s obviously not easy for the police to shut down riots. But they’re usually able to do it by taking these riot control steps.

Things tend to get worse before they get better during riots. But as long as police continue to push forward, they are eventually able to take control of a crowd of people and maintain safety.

Read more informative articles about riot control equipment by browsing through the other articles found on our blog.