Water cannon

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Contents 1 Fireboats 2 Riot control 3 Safety of water cannons for riot control 4 Effects of the press 5 Dye used in water cannon 6 Soap cannon 7 Sewage 8 Electric water cannons 9 Opinion of American protesters 10 Other water delivery devices 11 Other meanings 12 References 13 External links

A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. Typically, water cannons deliver a large volume of water, often over hundreds of feet (tens of metres).

[edit] Fireboats

Water cannons were first devised for use on fireboats. Putting out fires on boats and buildings close to the water was much more difficult and dangerous before fireboats were invented. The first fireboat deployed in Los Angeles was commissioned on August 1, 1919. The first fireboat in New York City was Marine 1, deployed February 1, 1891. There may have been other fireboats elsewhere even earlier.

[edit] Riot control

On occasion, a stream of water from a fireboat would knock a sailor down, and noting this, someone observed that such a device would be effective at riot control. Truck-based water cannon systems were used widely in the United States during the 1960s for riot control. Although they were safer than a combination of firearms, tear gas, and batons, their use as a less-lethal riot control mechanism has fallen out of favor in the United States. Pictures of riots being dispersed by water cannons are reminiscent of the American Civil Rights Movement when they were used by authorities to disperse crowds of protesting African Americans. Perhaps this reminder is one reason that the water cannon has fallen out of favor in the U.S.

Since then alternative higher-tech non-lethal weapons have been developed for domestic use. Whether these newer weapons are more effective and safer than water cannons remains controversial. Certainly, the competing vendors disagree as to which is more effective and safe.

Water cannons designed for riot control are still made in the United States and the United Kingdom, but most customers are overseas, particularly in Africa and parts of Asia. The most modern versions do not expose the operator to the riot, and are controlled remotely from within the vehicle with a joystick. These high-end vehicles can carry 2000 gallons (8,000 L) of water with a delivery rate of 250 gallons per minute (15 L/s). The water can be delivered as a continuous stream, or in pulses; as a hard jet or as a spray. There can be no doubt that the watercannon does achieve its goal in taking the wind out of a riot quickly.

[edit] Safety of water cannons for riot control

There are several well documented cases where rioters have been killed by other weapons used in conjunction with water cannons. There are several cases where rioters have killed police while water cannons were being used. There are no reports of a water cannon operator being killed.

A report issued in the United Kingdom said that use of plastic bullets over water cannon was justified because "Water cannons are inflexible and indiscriminate", although several people had been very seriously injured by the plastic bullets. (Over the years, 17 people have been killed by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland. Nine of those who died were children under the age of 18 - the youngest aged 10. Since 1997 the government has paid out £2.5m in settlements of claims for injury by plastic bullets)

Anecdotal reports indicate that people can walk away from an encounter with a water cannon while having serious internal injuries such as a ruptured spleen. If true and if such injuries are ignored, death could occur later. Since this type of injury is difficult to self diagnose, a person should seek medical attention as soon as possible after an encounter with a water cannon. The high pressure a modern water cannon can produce (up to 30 bar) can even break bones. There have also been reports of cobblestone streets being torn open by the jet of water.

[edit] Effects of the press

The presence of the media at riots has had a significant impact on water cannon use. There is much pressure on police departments to avoid bad publicity. Water cannon use would play badly in the press, and is likely a reason that they are not used more often in countries with a free press.

In 2002 in Salt Lake City, during the Winter Olympics, an unruly crowd was dispersed with a few pepper ball guns. This was covered by the press and seemed to play better on television than water cannons would have. Pepper ball use has increased with over one million rounds per year being sold now.

In some places, rioters have become semi-professionals, travelling to the sites of likely riots. This is particularly noted in sports-related riots in Europe. For example, France, Poland and England commonly have riots related to football (soccer) matches. Rioters have become quite sophisticated at understanding and withstanding the tactics used by police in such situations. Manuals for successful rioting are available on the Internet. These manuals also encourage rioters to get the press involved, as there is more safety with the cameras rolling. There is also more attention. Citizens with video cameras may also have an effect on both rioters and police.

[edit] Dye used in water cannon

In 1997, pink dye was reportedly added to the water used by Indonesian police to disperse a riot ^[1]. The implication is that they might use this mark to facilitate the arrest of rioters at a later time. The United Kingdom, who sold the water cannons to Indonesia, condemned this practice, (despite the fact that the Royal Ulster Constabulary had used a water cannon with purple dye during The Troubles in Northern Ireland) but later approved the sale of more water cannons to them. Most modern water cannons are also capable of adding tear gas to the stream.

[edit] Soap cannon

Soap cannons have been proposed for crowd control when persons in the crowd may be victims of a suspected bioterror attack. Soap cannons serve the double purpose of crowd control and cleaning people in the crowd. LAX airport has a soap cannon which also features pop-out showers so that crowds can be cleansed after being soaped. Also, people who have been soaped up are more likely to stay at the incident site to receive a decontamination treatment (cleansing shower), usually offered after the soaping, so the soap cannon helps to prevent people from fleeing from the scene of a chemical release, i.e. it prevents people from spreading the contamination to others.

[edit] Sewage

There have been incidents of antiriot watercannons being loaded with sewage instead of clean water. [2]

[edit] Electric water cannons

One manufacturer is experimenting with additives (salt and additives to reduce the breakup of the stream into droplets) that would allow electricity to be conducted through water. They have demonstrated delivery from a distance of up to twenty feet (6 m), but have not yet tested the device on people.

Although referred to as an electrified water cannon, this experiment involved a water jet much less powerful than a water cannon.

[edit] Opinion of American protesters

Several protest groups in the United States have called for the reintroduction of the basic water cannon. It is unclear whether this is to increase safety, to decrease police efficiency, or because it furthers their cause through how it might play in the press, or a combination of factors.

[edit] Other water delivery devices

Water cannons differ from other similar devices in the volume of water delivered in a given time, the nozzle speed, the pressure that it is delivered at, and to a lesser extent the total volume that can be delivered. They are also generally portable. The method of employment is also important in labelling a device a water cannon. Nevertheless, the distinction between a water cannon and other similar devices is fuzzy. For example:-

• Pressure washers generally produce an extremely high pressure stream where the power of the stream drops off significantly over a very short distance.
• Water pistols and other toys deliver much less water at a much lower pressure with a much lower volume of water.
• Fire trucks deliver water with much the same force and volume of force as a water cannon, and have even been used in riot control situations, but are rarely referred to as water cannons outside of this context.
• Ultra high pressure water jet cutters are used to cut a wide variety of materials including granite, ceramics, fabric and even Kevlar. One such cutter delivers 55,000 lbf/in² (380 MPa) through a nozzle 0.003 inch (8 micrometres) in diameter at 1 kilometre per second. This can cut a person in half at close range. There are reports of accidental deaths involving the industrial use of high-pressure water.

[edit] Other meanings

The name "watercannon" has also been used for:-

• Similar land vehicles used for firefighting
• Various large toys, for example images [3] [4] [5]
• This device used to aerate swimming pools
• Waterjet mining tools, e.g. image
• A type of railway wagon used to hose fallen leaves off the track: e.g. seen at Alexandra Palace on the 25 October 2003

[edit] References

1. ^ Indonesia and East Timor: Arms and security transfers undermine human rights. 3 June 1997. Amnesty International [1]

[edit] External links

• image of French police watercannon
• image of Irish police watercannon
• image of watercannon
• image of watercannon