The city of Pavia has decided to equip its local police force with a new restraint device known as the Bola Wrap. The announcement was made this morning by Councilor Rodolfo Faldini, who described it as a tool for immobilizing potentially dangerous individuals without causing physical harm.
“It is a device that allows us to restrain potentially dangerous people without causing physical damage and, above all, without being as dangerous as a Taser,” Faldini stated. “We have seen what has happened in recent weeks in some Italian cities. This is why, as an administration, we have decided to take this path.”
The city council has purchased four of the devices and has already begun training twelve officers in their use. Faldini explained the tool’s mechanics: “The Bola Wrap is capable of immobilizing a subject at risk by wrapping around them at the height of the abdomen or legs. It is a lasso that is launched using a sort of remote control, at a speed of 160 meters per second and with a range of between 3 and 8 meters. It is not a weapon, even from a legal standpoint. It is a means of coercion, decidedly less dangerous than a Taser.”
This move follows a decision by the current centre-left administration to suspend the use of Tasers by the Pavia local police in the summer of 2024, shortly after taking office.