{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-northern-ireland-2016/schedule/paragraph-4.1",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-northern-ireland-2016/schedule/paragraph-4.1.json",
  "legislation": "nisr/2016/41",
  "legislation_title": "The Police (Conduct) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/police-conduct-regulations-northern-ireland-2016",
  "path": "schedule/paragraph/4.1",
  "kind": "paragraph",
  "number": "4.1",
  "heading": "Article 4 Use of Force",
  "text": "Police officers, in carrying out their duties, shall as far as possible apply non-violent methods before resorting to any use of force. Any use of force shall be the minimum appropriate in the circumstances and shall reflect a graduated and flexible response to the threat. Police officers may use force only if other means remain ineffective or have no realistic chance of achieving the intended result.\n(Sourced from: Article 4 United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.)",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2016/41/schedule/paragraph/4.1",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T00:58:35.878787+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}