Training and effectiveness of the use of less lethal means of coercion in the Slovenian police

Uporaba, uvrščanje in usposabljanje z »manj ubojnimi ali neubojnimi« prisilnimi sredstvi v policijah po svetu oziroma razvitih demokratičnih družbah je del procesa sprejemanja novih prisilnih sredstev. Zaradi spoštovanja človekovih pravic, zagotavljanja splošne varnosti ljudi in upoštevanja visokih standardov pri izvajanju policijskih postopkov se nenehno razvijajo bolj humana prisilna sredstva. Slovenska policija že uporablja in tudi sledi novostim na področju uvajanja milejših prisilnih sredstev, ki so učinkovita pri obvladovanju hujših storilcev in še vedno primerna za uspešno izvajanja zahtevnejših nalog policije. Policijska zakonodaja v Sloveniji sicer ne pozna izraza »manj ubojna prisilna sredstva« ali »neubojna prisilna sredstva«, kakor tudi ni opredeljeno, katera prisilna sredstva bi bila lahko tako imenovana. Glede na nabor prisilnih sredstev bi morda lahko rekli, da so vsa prisilna sredstva razen strelnega orožja manj ubojna oziroma ne ubojna. Moramo pa se zavedati, da je lahko tudi palica ali katero drugo prisilno sredstvo v rokah neizobraženega oziroma neusposobljenega uporabnika nevarno sredstvo in lahko tudi smrtonosno. V preteklosti se je tako tudi pokazalo, da je oseba, zoper katero je bilo uporabljeno eno od milejših prisilnih sredstev (»plinski razpršilec«) umrla. Ugotovljeno je bilo, da obstaja vzročna povezava med uporabo prisilnega sredstva in nastalo posledico, čeprav vzrok smrti ni bil potrjen kot uporaba prisilnega sredstva. Zaradi takšnih dogodkov se moramo zavedati sekundarnih posledic uporabe prisilnih sredstev, ki so lahko hujše od pričakovanih učinkov uporabe prisilnega sredstva. Zaradi učinkovitega izvrševanja policijskih nalog z uporabo prisilnih sredstev, je treba vseskozi stremeti k uvajanju novih učinkovitejših prisilnih sredstev, predvsem pa takšnih, ki na osebah povzročajo najmanjše posledice. Ker pa je nemogoče z gotovostjo vnaprej določiti, kakšna posledica bo nastala ob uporabi določenega prisilnega sredstva, bi bilo mogoče razmišljati glede imenovanja teh sredstev kot »manj ubojna prisilna sredstva. Učinek manj ubojnih prisilnih sredstev pa je, kot je že povedano mogoče doseči s konstruiranjem le-teh, da so manj nevarna, in pa seveda z rednim in profesionalnim pristopom k usposabljanju in izobraževanju policistov glede same uporabe le teh. V zaključnem delu želimo preučiti zakonodajo in pooblastila ter predstaviti različna prisilna sredstva v slovenski policiji ter poiskati ustrezno poimenovanje prisilnih sredstev, saj se v različnih dostopnih literaturah uporablja različna terminologija, kot zasledimo nesmrtonosna sila, manj ubojna sredstva, milejša sredstva itd. Izpostavili smo tudi pomembnost usposabljanja v slovenski policiji. Na osnovi analiziranja obstoječega strokovnega gradiva in spoznanja smo prve štiri hipoteze potrdili, zadnjo smo pa zavrnili.The use, classification and training with "less lethal or non-lethal" means of coercion in police forces around the world, or in developed democratic societies, is part of the process of adopting new means of coercion. In order to respect human rights, ensure the general safety of people and observe high standards in the implementation of police procedures, more humane means of coercion are constantly being developed. The Slovenian police already uses and also follows innovations in the field of introducing milder means of coercion, which are effective in controlling more serious criminals and are still suitable for the successful implementation of more demanding police tasks. Police legislation in Slovenia does not recognize the terms "less lethal means of coercion" or "non-lethal means of coercion", nor is it defined which means of coercion could be called that. Considering the range of coercive means, it could perhaps be said that all coercive means, except for firearms, are less lethal or non-lethal. However, we must be aware that even a stick or any other means of coercion in the hands of an ignorant or untrained user can be a dangerous tool and can be deadly. In the past, it has also been shown that the person against whom one of the milder means of coercion, the "gas spray", was used, died. It was established that there is a causal connection between the use of a coercive instrument and the resulting consequence, despite the fact that the cause of death was not confirmed as the use of a coercive instrument. Because of such events, we must be aware of the secondary consequences of the use of coercive means, which may be worse than the expected effects of their use. Due to the effective execution of police tasks using coercive means, it is necessary to constantly look at the introduction of new more effective coercive means, especially those that cause the least consequences on people. However, since it is impossible to determine with certainty in advance what the consequences will be when a certain means of coercion is used, it would be possible to think about naming these means as "less lethal means of coercion." The effect of less lethal means of coercion, as already said, can be achieved by designing them to be less dangerous and, of course, with a regular and professional approach to the training and education of police officers regarding the actual use of these means. In the final part, we want to examine the legislation and powers and present the various means of coercion in the Slovenian police and find the appropriate name for the means of coercion, as different terminology is used in the various available literature, as we can see non-lethal force, less lethal means, milder means, etc. We also highlighted the importance of training in the Slovenian police. Based on the analysis of existing professional material and knowledge, we confirmed the first four hypotheses, but rejected the last one