With Law Enforcement’s overreaction to any set of circumstances in Western societies, (especially in the US) one has to wonder what we lose when we resort to deadly force to quench every situation. They can easily be deescalated, when we have the proper training and tools available.
Do the police depend too much on guns?
Police Departments around the world are more often than not taught to depend on their sidearms, deadly force, rather than calmly talking a person down. However, police departments are also on edge. They sometimes desperately need personnel to fill in the ranks, some police departments may take a young adult who may have been a grocery clerk and suddenly, six to nine months later, voila – they’re in uniform! The power that comes with the uniform is often intoxicating and can be deadly if one is not properly trained and supervised.
Learning psychology, martial arts & communication is effective in saving both lives & money
Agencies, whether they be international, national or local need to understand that it’s vital to teach their personnel the arts of psychology and martial arts before officers begin to hit the streets. Of course, there’s no question, in the event of a terrorist attack, that police departments ought to use extra force, but does the same apply to petty crimes?
Take this perspective from the majority of professional psychologists, counselors, police negotiators and martial artists. The latter believe that 90% of events which occur on the streets between law enforcement and a person wielding a weapon, whether it be a knife or a gun, can be talked-down and rarely do constables actually have to use martial arts.
The problem is that many police personnel are taught to use violence, a ‘Shoot to kill and ask questions later’ mentality. In 26% of such situations in the United States, a person wielding a knife is more than likely to end up dead.
There’s no middle ground or positive resolution. In other words, that means one in four people end up mortally wounded. What a tragedy in the making when police personnel could be taught better deescalation moves and techniques. These problems have been escalating since the 1960’s and this phenomenon is not only unique to America, it’s found in other Western countries as well.
How much martial arts’ training do the police actually get?
Police academies in the U.S. only train their officers for 2-4 hours on average in martial arts; those who are true students of the arts however know better – that it is a lifelong journey. In countries such as; China (Kung-fu), Japan (Judo, Kendo or Aikido) and South Korea (Taekwondo) training is continuous and for up to a period of five years by the time patrolmen and women are ready to work their respective tough streets. Now, police in China are not only integrating Kung-fu into their training, but also certain techniques and mindsets taken from Krav Maga (the Israeli martial art).
The difference between Western & Asian police forces
This has proven to be a continuous success between 2017 and 2019, where Chinese police have disarmed knife-wielding attackers with the use of Kung-fu without any loss of life. Simple techniques, from an arm-twisting movement or kick to the back have caused people lose their balance and drop their blades instantly. That’s the kind of outcome we should be able to ‘rinse and repeat’.
When dealing with the police in the United States unfortunately, the first thing they’ll do is approach a person already ‘cocked and locked’. The mindset is, “We’re going to war and there is no peace!” In other words, the 12 gauge-pump action device is literally prepared to spitfire, while officers are uncontrollably screaming orders for the person to put down their weapon. There are cases when just a little sensitivity, decent communication and common sense is needed with a little dose of psychology, especially when dealing with people who are mentally ill.
A precise program of psychological & practically-applied training creates a tremendous positive difference in results
Kung-fu and psychology are certainly the right keys to improve upon the finality of deadly force. Furthermore, it is costlier in the long term when an incident ends in tragedy. Right now, the United States spends around $200 billion (approx £150bn) on therapy. Most of this money is spent on law enforcement personnel who have suffered on-the-job trauma, alcohol or drug dependency.
In the long run, martial arts training alongside psychology classes are cost effective for police departments internationally. To conclude, a precise, philosophical mindset as well as a practically applied training program are sure fire ways to ‘peace of mind’ with enduring trans-generational benefits. Afterall, we reap what you sow – that’s an indisputable law, question is, what kind of harvest is our “kung-fu karma” aiming for?
