Violent crime has erupted onto the streets of the UK in recent years with many extremely distressing examples that need not be discussed in detail here. Most people will be very aware of this by now and anybody who resides in, or visits the UK is at risk of falling victim to one of these horrific incidents.

Self-defence equipment such as Incapacitant Sprays (IS) and/ or Conducted Energy Devices (CED) were never so much as considered for public availability within the UK, despite IS sprays being considered non-lethal pieces of equipment and CEDs being considered less lethal due to their occasional associated cardiac risks. However, both should only be used against an imminent threat to life or serious injury, so per section 76 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, their lawful use inherently justifies risking the attacker's safety to protect one's own or another's. If the status quo remains in place, many more people are at serious risk of being brutally murdered with no means of defending themselves at all.

Currently, an individual carrying a pepper spray within the UK for example could potentially face a longer custodial sentence than a would be attacker for unlawfully carrying a knife or blade. This is obviously inherently unjust. How many more innocent lives must be stolen from us before our government is prepared to act to right this wrong?