Baton rounds introduced in Northern Ireland two years ago are potentially more deadly than the weapons they replaced, a new report claims.
Studies found the bullets fired by police and soldiers to try and quell rioters were faster, hit harder than previous rounds and have injured children.
The report has intensified the pressure on the British government to scrap the weapons, which have killed 17 people and injured hundreds more during street disturbances.
Researchers working for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission also said not enough had been done to find an alternative. They concluded that nearly 10 times more of the new L21A1 round discharged had inflicted wounds than the injury rate caused by its predecessor.
The report said: "The new baton round is potentially a more lethal weapon than that which it replaced. Presently there is a flawed record-keeping and a flawed accountability process."
The report, written by the independent Omega Group, comes amid growing pressure from nationalists and republicans for a new public order weapon.
Moves to phase out baton rounds are expected to be included in the blueprint to save the peace process set to be unveiled by the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, on Thursday.
Even though the L21A1 was supposed to be more accurate when it was introduced in June 2001, the research has claimed it is less successful in targeting. One in three rounds missed its target, and in some cases rounds have been fired in violation of the guidelines. Prof Brice Dickson, chief commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, said the findings were disturbing and urged the authorities to step up efforts to abolish all use of so-called plastic bullets.
He said: "We are particularly concerned about the potential danger to children from injury by the baton round, and indeed some children have already been hurt by it."
Concerns heightened after the report found that more than 10 per cent of the new baton rounds fired had caused injury compared with a 1.14 per cent injury rate with the previous round. The researchers said there have been fundamental weaknesses in the search for an alternative. Even though the Police Ombudsman, Ms Nuala O'Loan, can investigate firings by police, the report called for her office to have the power to investigate all incidents.
It added: "The official reporting of numbers of rounds fired by both the police and the army shows lamentable inconsistencies. Accountability for all firings would be greatly enhanced and assisted by forensically marking all baton rounds with a unique identifier which cannot be removed."
A British army spokesman rejected claims that there was no mechanism for monitoring all baton rounds fired by soldiers. "There is an independent military commissioner, Jim McDonald, so that allegation is entirely untrue," he said.
"Army forces are also accountable to the law, and should anyone have cause for complaint representation should be made either to army headquarters at Lisburn or the police." - (PA)