The China Post
Date November 17, 2016
By: CNA

TAIPEI–Police officers are to be equipped with pepper spray —similar to that used to protect against sexual assault — in an effort to provide them with a wider range of policing choices, the National Police Agency (NPA) said on Wednesday.

The pepper spray is first to be issued to officers on highway patrols, as well as those working in railways and airports, at the end of the month.

The spray, which emits a burning combination of pepper and chili, can temporarily render a suspect powerless, the NPA said at a news conference to introduce the new tactic.

Pepper sprays are already used by police forces in nine countries, among them, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines and South Africa, where they are listed as essential equipment, the agency said.

Huang Fu-kun, an administrative chief at the NPA, said recent incidents in which officers have been shot or stabbed are deeply regrettable.    [FULL  STORY]