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Pepper spray comes to town The spray is designed to incapacitate violent people who police believe present a danger to themselves or the public. It produces the same heat effect as a natural chilli pepper. Unlike CS spray, used by Hertfordshire Constabulary since 1998, the new chemical - Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide - (PAVA) does not affect bystanders. There is also no need to decontaminate areas after the spray is used, so it can be used in confrontational situations such as football matches, police cars or custody units. Chief inspector Steve Kissane said: "The new spray has been proven to be effective in a greater number of cases than CS during trials in other forces. "All operational officers have been trained in the use of PAVA and, as with CS gas, it provides an option for use only when resolving violent, confrontational situations that pose a potential danger to officers, innocent members of the public or indeed the person causing the threat." He explained PAVA has no long-term medical effects and in most cases a full recovery is achieved within 45 minutes. n Firearms officers in the county will also be equipped with Taser weapons from this week. The weapon sends an electrical current through a suspected offender. Inspector Derek Hollick, head of the force's firearms unit, said: "Taser provides firearms officers with another option to use. "It's important to stress that Taser is not a replacement for firearms. "Where officers are faced with firearms they will meet that threat with firearms.
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