The British army fired five times as many plastic bullets in 2002 compared to the previous 12 months, an independent report has found.
In his tenth annual report, Jim McDonald, the independent assessor of military complaints procedures, revealed a substantial increase in the use of plastic bullets by soldiers.
An upsurge in rioting at interface areas in Belfast meant that the army fired a total of 85 baton rounds in 2002, compared to 17 the previous year.
Commenting on the campaign to see an end to plastic bullets, Mr McDonald said the British government had a "duty of care to provide adequate means of defence" for the security forces.
"Indeed, the best means of securing the non-use of baton rounds is for all who wish to demonstrate to behave in a reasonable and acceptable manner which does not threaten life and limb."
He made a number of recommendations including the use of videos to determine if the use of plastic rounds was justified.
His report went on to show a 15% reduction in complaints from the public about helicopter activity.
Mr McDonald said the main reason for the drop in complaints from 493 in 2001 to 421 last year was a reduction in the number of flying hours.
He suggested that as part of the demilitarisation process, the British government should consider the possibility of the police acquiring its own helicopters for police duties.
The report also showed that the overall number of complaints against the army had fallen by 21%.
In 2001 there had been 676 complaints while in 2002 the figure dropped to 534.
However, the number of formal complaints recorded in 2002 was 25, an increase of five from the previous year.
Mr McDonald said despite this increase there was a considerable reduction in comparison from the late 1990s when the average was 70 complaints per year.
