Enforcer (battering ram)
Enforcer (also known informally as "the big key"[1] ) is the term given to a specially designed manual battering ram[2] currently used by British Police forces to aid in gaining entry to premises.[2]
Construction
The Enforcer is of a steel tubular construction with a steel pad at the impact end so that it can absorb the impact,[3] and a handle at the opposite end angled so that the user can swing accurately without actually applying his own pressure more than necessary.[3] Further, there is a handle in the middle of the tube aiding the user in handling.[3] The Enforcer can apply more than three tonnes of impact force to door locks, whilst it is 58 cm long and weighs 16 kg.[3]
Police use
In most forces in Britain, the Enforcer can only be used when authorised by a senior officer in charge of a search.[3] In London the Metropolitan Police Services' Armed Response Vehicles and most station vans carry them. Within most forces an officer can only use such a tool once they have attended a course receiving training in the safe handling and operational use.[3] Also, most forces insist that the user wears gloves to minimise the shock created when a door is struck with the ram.[3]
References
- ^ "£2million of drugs off West Fife streets". Dunfermline Press. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
- ^ a b http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20030121/ai_n9679232.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) [dead link] - ^ a b c d e f g Waldren, Michael J. (2007). Armed Police, The Police Use of Firearms since 1945. England: Sutton. p. 224. ISBN 0-7509-4637-7.
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