Gardaí to use banned weapon

A CONTROVERSIAL non-fatal weapon due to be given to gardaí has been withdrawn from use by other police forces around the world because it proved too dangerous.

Bean-bag shot, an alternative to plastic bullets, is a square or circular fabric bag containing lead shot which is intended to flatten on impact spreading its energy over a large area.

The rounds, fired from a 12-guage shotgun are intended to be non-fatal.