In Estonia, there are situations almost every week when police officers have to consider using weapons while performing their duties, writes ERR News.
Armin Saarits, head of the Special Preparedness Unit of the Police and Border Guard Board’s (PPA) Northern Prefecture, stated that guns are actually fired only a few times a year. Saarits told the Vikerhommik radio program on the 3rd of July: “There are actually withdrawals of service weapons every week because we have a major concern about the fact that people in Estonia have bought a lot of gas guns, starter guns, which are identical [in appearance] to real guns.”
However, Saarits emphasized that pulling a service weapon from a holster is not yet considered using a weapon. He explained that 10-15 years ago, about ten times when a service weapon was fired were reported, now they are only once or twice a year: “This means situations in which a police officer has fired at an object with the intention of harming it, to stop an attack.”
Saarits called on citizens to avoid threatening police officers with weapon-like objects
and pointed out that in a tense situation, it may be impossible for a police officer to assess in a hundredth of a second whether the weapon-like object is a real firearm, a toy, a gas gun, or a starter pistol.
He said that a police officer’s strongest weapon, in any case, is a sharp mind and very good communication skills.
But when it comes to a very intense, dynamic, or dangerous situation, every police officer working in the field today is a first responder and so must be prepared to use a lethal weapon. To do this, we work on a daily basis, we develop new training programs. The police officers do their shooting tests and have to be prepared every day for those difficult situations when it is necessary to use a weapon.”
Saarits added that
police officers are also regularly trained to work in conflict situations, and psychological support is available if needed.
The Estonian police monitor the situation in public spaces and online on a daily basis in order to prevent unrest in the streets. Saarits added that the Estonian society is stable and the people are peaceful, and so far there are no signs of possible riots.
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