Tag: law enforcement

Polish AWGŁ-3 Riot Control System

Jip Foxall McTavish with Jack Shanley The unusual Polish AWGŁ-3 less-lethal launcher system, shown in Figure 1.1 in its single-launcher configuration, can be operated as a stand-alone weapon or as part of a crew-served system. This riot control system was developed in the 1970s by the Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy (OBR; ‘Research and Development Centre’), alongside the

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Military use of Ballistic Shields: Part 2, 1919–present day

Patrick Senft Editor’s note: This is the second part of Mr. Senft’s research article examining the military use of ballistic shields. Part 1, covering the period ca. 1500–1918, can be found here. Second World War During the interbellum period, ballistic shields returned to being something of a novelty. Experimentation continued, with some military units and

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PKC Glock with 3D-printed frame seized in Sydney, Australia

G. Hays & N.R. Jenzen-Jones The New South Wales Police force have charged a 32-year-old man in Sydney, Australia with firearms offences following a raid on a Newtown home on 22 September 2020. During the raid, a Glock-type self-loading pistol assembled using some 3D-printed components was seized along with a 3D printer, additional 3D-printed firearm

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Firearm with 3D-printed frame recovered following police shooting in California

G. Hays & N.R. Jenzen-Jones On 18 June 2020, at approximately 1752 local time, 18-year-old Andres Guardado was fatally shot by a deputy from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) after allegedly drawing a firearm. The shooting took place in the 400 block of Redondo Beach Boulevard, in the unincorporated Gardena area, outside Los

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Multiple 3D-printed Firearms Seized in Sydney, Australia

G. Hays On Tuesday 11 August 2020, police in New South Wales, Australia executed a search warrant on a home in the Sydney suburb of St Marys following a yearlong investigation into the manufacture and supply of 3D-printed firearms to criminals across Sydney’s west. At the home, investigators arrested a 29-year-old man who was charged

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Toronto Police seize PKC Glock with 3D-printed frame

Ivan T. In April 2020, the Toronto Police Service seized what appears to be a Glock-type self-loading pistol. To the non-specialist, this may appear to be a modified factory-made Glock handgun, but it is in fact a craft-produced firearm constructed using a 3D-printed frame. It is most likely to be what is known as a

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ARES ‘Quicklook’ video series

We are pleased to announce that selected short video reports derived from our ‘Quicklook’ series will now be made publicly available. These video reports, typically a few minutes in length, examine events relevant to ARES clients and provide brief contextual and observational information. Deeper analysis of any of these events is available to selected clients;

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Chilean FAMAE SAF from Hellenic Police trials

Kristóf Nagy Designed and produced at the state-owned Chilean arms manufacturer, Fábricas y Maestranzas del Ejército (FAMAE), the FAMAE Sub-machine Gun (Subametralladora FAMAE; SAF) is one of the few indigenous arms designs that came out of South America in the late 20th century. Despite some substantial sales successes in Central and South America, as well

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Less-lethal launchers during protests in Turkey

By N.R. Jenzen-Jones Crowd control actions executed by Turkish police in 2013 have showcased the employment of several less-lethal launchers. Aside from a range of medium-calibre riot guns (including 37/38mm Federal Riot Guns, 37/38mm Penn Arms PL-8 rotary launchers, and MKE 40mm launchers)  firing CS, impact, and possibly OC munitions, three other less-lethal launchers have

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