Nepali police use social distancing pliers to nab people

KATHMANDU:When a nationwide lockdown was declared by the government, Nepali police found itself in the difficult position of enforcing it while maintaining social distancing.

As the lockdown began, police chiefs scratched their heads for crowd control devices on their arsenal.

According to a Nepali Times report, after the first day, complaints began pouring from law enforcers on the streets that they were facing difficulties carrying out the order without physically touching people violating the lockdown orders.

“The security of our policemen came first, but we have never faced a situation like this,” said Valley police chief Bishwaraj Pokhrel.

“That is when someone remembered that we had a piece of equipment that would be the perfect solution for apprehending people without physical contact.”

Known by its unwieldy acronym MFRAD (Multi-functional Rescue and Arrest Device), 16 units was finally located in a store.

Often, and more appropriately, referred to as “social distancing pliers”, the mechanism began gaining attention after videos of police using them to snare people on the streets made the rounds on Facebook and YouTube.

The device, along with its lock system, makes it possible for policemen to trap and detain pedestrians while maintaining a 3m distance.

This helps ensure the safety of the officers on duty, while effectively immobilising the people targeted.