ABSTRACT
Perhaps the most contentions of the broad legal powers given to police are their right to use physical force to effect cooperation from the public and their right to use lethal force to protect their or another’s life. This chapter specifically focuses on the state of the research and practice in Australia. The emphasis is on research and practice concerns around the use of force on people experiencing mental health issues and the effects of the widespread dissemination of the Conducted Energy Devices (i.e. Tasers). We conclude that some of the main critical issues that need to be prioritised are: (1) the collation of national police use of force data that is regularly publicly disseminated, (2) regular academic and official examinations of use of force on people experiencing mental health issues, and (3) increased high-quality research on police use of force in the Australian context.
