The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission today called for a halt in the use of plastic bullets by the RUC.
The commission urged the Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan to follow the lead of some of his counterparts in England by declaring he would no longer use plastic bullets as a method of crowd control.
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The bullets were fired by police during serious rioting by both nationalists and loyalists in recent days - though there have been no reports of serious injury.
However, the commission said that it believed the use of the weapon as a method of crowd control was "a disproportionate use of force".
New, supposedly less dangerous, plastic bullets were made available to the RUC from June 1 but the commission said, based on a report prepared for the British government by the Defence Scientific Advisory Council, its view was "the new weapon appears even more dangerous than the weapon it replaces".
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Professor Brice Dickson said his group recognised "the intense pressure and difficulties which police officers in Northern Ireland face when confronting rioters. These have been all too obvious in recent days".
But he said: "We nevertheless note that, even though there have been serious riots in England in recent weeks, various police forces including the Metropolitan Police, have indicated that it was not necessary to resort to the use of plastic bullets.
"The commission feels that now is the time for the RUC Chief Constable to adopt the same policy."
The commission added that the Government should intensify its efforts to develop other, safer methods of crowd control, particularly when young children were involved.
Sinn Féin was due later today to meet the commission to discuss the use of plastic bullets. The Relatives for Justice group say 14 people have been killed by plastic bullets in Northern Ireland and three by their rubber predecessors.
Nine of those who died were children under the age of 18 - the youngest aged 10.
Since 1997 the British government has paid out Stg£2.5 million in settlement of claims for injury by plastic bullets, said the organisation. The last death was in August 1989, but injuries have continued - several hundred in the past decade.
Ulster Unionist minister Dermot Nesbitt said he was sorry that the commission had taken its view, particularly when plastic bullets were one measure available to police to protect lives and property on both sides of the community.
He said: "Sadly in recent days the police have had to resort to using plastic bullets as a means to control violent and dangerous situations where there are people intent on causing mass destruction.
"While attempting to enforce law and order the police themselves have had to cope with more than 130 injured officers.
"It is therefore deeply disappointing to see that the commission has chosen to react in this way.
"Does the commission seriously expect the RUC to stand idly by and watch rioters wreck property and threaten lives?"
He challenged the commission to declare what it believed to be "proportionate use of force" if the baton rounds were in its view disproportionate at times of potentially grave social disorder.
"The Ulster Unionist Party does not want to see plastic bullets being used for one moment longer than is necessary," he said.
"I wish to see normality, however at this time plastic bullets should continue to be available to the RUC."
Mr Flanagan hit back at the commission's stance and claimed its statement was "inaccurate and misleading" in many respects.
In a statement issued through police headquarters, he said he had no doubt whatever that human life would have been lost if his officers had not had the use of baton rounds in recent days.
He said: "There is surely no more supreme human right than the right to life.
"It is my responsibility to do my very best to protect this most precious of rights.
"Sadly in Northern Ireland, as we have seen all too vividly demonstrated recently, life-threatening circumstances sometimes arise where the use of baton rounds is necessitated."
The statement said no one was more saddened by such circumstances than the Chief Constable and his fellow officers.
"They yearn for the day and call for everyone of influence to bring forward the day when such circumstances do not arise," it stated.
It quoted from the Patten report on police reform that for as long as the community in Northern Ireland contained elements prepared to use lethal weapons against the police such situations would certainly arise - words which contrasted starkly with "the lack of rigour demonstrated in the press release issued by the Human Rights Commission".
It added: "It is inaccurate and misleading in many respects, not least of which is its misrepresentation of the position of chief police officers in England."
PA