[ThomasC]

Originally Posted by parmnion

Surely when you are assaulted you should do everything you can to keep your assailant down, incase they get back up and try again.

Doesn’t work like that.

I very rarely have to use physical restraint so I know the legalities of it....but when I do it’s because the risk meets the need for it.

It has to be reasonable. This means that there is a risk of serious harm to myself, the public or severe property damage. It has to be proportionate, so using a hold would be proportionate whereas kicking someone in the head wouldn’t. Could I use pava spray or would I have to deploy taser for example or a batton gun ....necessary, does the risk presented make it necessary for me to use force or I can I de-escalate through other methods.

A restraint should also be used for the least amount of time. I could go on and write a lot about this, but it’s not necessary.

Having said all this, even though there will be approved techniques, someone is justifiably able to use other means of restraint, such as a kick to th4 head in the most severe situations where there is an immediate threat to life.

This occasion there wasn’t.