At some instances, policemen get helpless, he said, adding that even the IGP has stressed the need for his personnel to be armed with a new method of dealing with such trouble.

Recently, the Human Rights Commission found the police at fault in the crackdown on protesting HNDA students, and ordered that compensation be paid to the assaulted students and disciplinary action taken against the errant policemen.

The commission also recommended how the police should deal with protest situations.