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 Associate Professor Vahit Bıçak, former head of the Prime Ministry"™s Human Rights Board, says that thanks to the simulation training for use of force, the reactions of policemen can be predicted using scenarios developed in a virtual environment.
(Today's Zaman, 28.11.2007) Experts have said excessive reactions by police officers to incidents requiring force can be curtailed through proper training.
Some experts say that security officers may from time to time fail to control their reactions due to fear, excitement or haste, but they add that managing one"™s reactions can be learned through training. Associate Professor Vahit Bıçak, former head of the Prime Ministry"™s Human Rights Board, says that thanks to the simulation training for use of force, the reactions of policemen can be predicted using scenarios developed in a virtual environment.
Bıçak explains that they measure how the police will react using images projected by a laser on a screen. This simulation technique is currently used in the UK, the US and Canada to teach the police how to use force. Different scenarios (fugitives running away, armed clashes or an angry mob) are projected onto a large screen. Standing before the screen with his weapon, baton or tear gas, the police officer reacts to the situation. When the officer fires his gun or uses his baton, the laser beam is reflected on the screen. Then, the spot hit by the gun or the stick is recorded. In this way, police officers can practice repeatedly and eventually fine-tune their use of force.
Bıçak, known for his studies on human rights, points out that this simulation technique will help the police to control their reflexes. "In an unexpected incident, people"™s reflexes are out of control. In real life, this may lead to loss of other people"™s lives. This technique is used both for in-service and pre-service training in some countries. It has been found to be extremely useful. We have the available technology to run these simulations," he says.
Bıçak emphasizes that in an incident, people running away from a police checkpoint may be stopped at the next police checkpoint or by firing into the air or at car tires as forms of the proportionate use of force, saying it is illegal for the police to fire their guns in a manner that would violate the right to life. He adds: "If there is a danger to lives of other people, the right to life [of the suspect] may be risked in order to protect them. If a driver drives his/her car toward the police officer, then the police officer may directly target the driver. If the suspect is trying to flee the scene, there is no need to use force. The license plate of the fugitive"™s car can be identified and reported to other police squads and ultimately stopped. Alternatively, tires can be targeted. Firing behind the running suspect cannot be regarded as a proportional or graduated use of force." Bıçak says the police may resort to force only under the conditions set forth by law, further arguing that Turkey lacks an institutional structure to secure human rights.
28.11.2007
METİN ARSLAN ANKARA |
