The RUC said only two plastic bullets have been fired in the past week, reflecting the force's change of public order policing policy arising from the 1998 Patten Report. Some 13 people have died as a result of plastic bullets fired by the security forces in Northern Ireland. It said the force should reduce reliance on the weapons and when they were deemed necessary, they should be treated in the same way as a firearm and used only by specialised officers. Such use should also be authorised only by a district commander and there should be reports on each incident. The report also recommended police make video recordings of incidents where plastic bullets are fired.
Plastic bullets are also to be used only where there is a threat to life rather than property.
The absence of these weapons has encouraged some of the loyalist rioters in the past week. RUC sources indicated over the weekend that they expect further loyalist rioting over the coming days, culminating in the annual Twelfth of July demonstrations on Wednesday. It remains to be seen how effective the water cannons, which have not been used in Northern Ireland since the late 1960s, will be against concerted rioting.