Unravelling the ‘Velcro Effect’: Is Deterring Assaults against the Police Indicative of a More Aggressive Style of Policing?

Abstract

The ‘Velcro Effect’ was proposed to explain how the mere threat of using incapacitant sprays deterred assaults against the police (Kaminski, Edwards, & Johnson, 1998). The deterrent capabilities of CS spray were used to legitimise its deployment against a background of critical media coverage. However, what Kaminski et al. failed to consider is that batons — and the police uniform — also deter assaults against the police. This suggests an alternative explanation for the ability to deter assaults against the police that centres on the actions of police officers rather than the characteristics ascribed to any single weapon. Based on a study of officers in one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, this article argues that it is the officer's ability to appear competent and ready to fight that deters would-be assailants. Furthermore, it is argued that in order to deter would-be assailants, police officers have to adopt an aggressive demeanour that is far removed from that of the traditional image associated with routine policing in England and Wales.