CS incapacitant spray is used as a temporary incapacitant, to subdue attackers, or persons who are violently aggressive, by many police forces. CS was discovered by two Americans, Ben Carson and Roger Staughton in 1928 - the first letters of the scientists' surnames giving us the name of the substance, "CS"
The Policing Board endorsed the introduction of CS spray by the PSNI in February 2003. At the request of the PSNI, the Police Ombudsman investigated each use of CS spray during the initial period of its introduction. The PSNI intended that the Police Ombudsman’s monitoring of CS spray use would identify problems and concerns at an early stage which the PSNI could remedy in policy and/or training. The Policing Board’s Human Rights and Professional Standards Committee (now the Community and Human Rights Committee) also considered each one of the Police Ombudsman’s reports. A summary report on the use of CS spray has been published and is available on the Police Ombudsman’s website.
The Policing Board’s Human Rights Advisors also examined the PSNI’s use of CS spray during 2004/2005 and reported their findings in their Human Rights Annual Report 2006.