Catherine Cawood's Handcuffs

The handcuffs are used to restrain Khalid during his arrest, but their symbolic weight extends beyond their functional role. They represent the institutional power of the police, yet their application to Khalid—a mentally unstable individual—highlights the system’s failure to distinguish between genuine threats and vulnerable individuals. The handcuffs bind Khalid physically, but his shouts about being ‘watched’ suggest a deeper, unseen restraint: the paranoia (or knowledge) that isolates him. For Brett, the handcuffs are a looming threat, though Catherine never actually uses them on him; instead, she relies on her baton and bare hands, making her violence more personal and brutal.

The handcuffs are used to restrain Khalid during his sectioning, but their presence in the scene also serves as a dark contrast to Catherine’s unchecked violence against Brett. While the handcuffs are a symbol of legal restraint, Catherine’s assault is extrajudicial—she does not need to cuff Brett because she knows no one will hold her accountable. The handcuffs, therefore, highlight the hypocrisy of the system: Khalid, who is mentally unstable, is restrained by the law, while Brett, who committed no real crime, is punished by brute force outside of it.

Catherine’s handcuffs are the physical instruments of Neil’s arrest, but they also symbolize the institutional power she wields. She deploys them swiftly and efficiently after restraining Neil, the metallic snap audible as they lock around his wrists. The handcuffs are a stark reminder of the legal consequences of his actions, and their use marks the transition from personal conflict to formal detention. Neil’s reaction ('You’re hurting me!') underscores the handcuffs’ dual role: as a tool of restraint and as a source of humiliation. Their presence is a constant in Catherine’s work, but their use here carries added weight due to her personal connection to Neil.