Police trying to control a riot might welcome a new idea patented by Josef Jeffries of Birmingham (GB 2379003). 鈥淩iots have become a way of life,鈥� he says. Conventional riot-control agents, such as plastic bullets, CS gas and water cannons can injure people. Compressed air, maintains Jeffries, would be safer.
Jeffries envisages a riot-control truck equipped with a compressor that can blast out pressurised air through a pipe on a telescopic jib. The jet will be strong enough to knock rioters off their feet so that the police can deal with them more easily. The jib is designed to move above parked vehicles or into alleys where rioters may be hiding.
