Hand Cuffs

Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist. Without the key, the handcuffs cannot be unlocked and so the restrained person is unable to move their wrists more than a few centimetres/inches apart, making many tasks difficult or impossible. This is usually done to prevent suspected criminals from escaping police custody.

There are two distinct subtypes of contemporary metal handcuffs: one in which the cuffs are held together by a short chain, and another, of more recent origin, which uses a hinge for this purpose. Since hinged handcuffs permit less movement than a chain cuff, they are generally considered as more secure. A third type, the rigid handcuff, has a metal block or bar between the cuffs. While bulkier to carry it permits several variations in cuffing, and example of rigid handcuffs are Hiatts Speedcuffs as used by most police forces in the United Kingdom. Both rigid and hinged cuffs can be used one-handed to apply pain-compliance/control techniques that are not workable with the chain type of cuff. Various accessories are available to improve the security or increase the rigidity of handcuffs, including boxes that fit over the chain or hinge and can themselves be locked with a padlock. Handcuffs may be manufactured from various metals, including carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium, or from synthetic polymers. Sometimes two pairs of handcuffs are needed to restrain a person with an exceptionally large waistline because the hands cannot be brought close enough together; in this case, one cuff on one pair of handcuffs is handcuffed to one of the cuffs on the other pair, and then the remaining open handcuff on each pair is applied to the person's wrists. Oversized handcuffs are available from a number of manufacturers, as are juvenile-sized restraints, though none of the latter in current production are approved for use by the United States National Institute of Justice.