Barbed tape or
razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with
sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent
passage by humans. The term "razor wire",
through long usage, has generally been used
to describe barbed tape products. While
razor wire is much sharper than the standard
barbed wire, it is named after its
appearance, but is not actually razor sharp.
However, the points are very sharp and made
to rip and grab onto clothing and flesh.
The multiple
blades of a razor wire fence are designed to
inflict serious cuts on anyone attempting to
climb through and therefore have a strong
psychological deterrent effect. In many
high-security applications, barbed tape
supplanted barbed wire, which could be
circumvented relatively quickly by humans
with tools, while penetrating razor wire
barriers without tools is very slow and
difficult, giving security forces more time
to respond. Razor wire contains a core
hardened steel strip that is often under
tension, so if cut, it strikes the cutter.
Starting in the late 1960s,
barbed tape was typically found
in prisons and secure mental
hospitals, where the increased
breaching time for a poorly
equipped potential escapee was a
definite advantage. Until the
development of reinforced barbed
tape in the early 1980s, it was
rarely used for military
purposes or genuine high
security facilities because,
with the correct tools, it was
easier to breach than barbed
wire. Since then some military
forces have replaced barbed wire
with barbed tape for many
applications, mainly because it
is slightly lighter for the same
effective coverage and it takes
up very little space compared to
barbed wire or reinforced barbed
tape when stored on drums.
More recently barbed tape has
been used in more commercial and
residential security
applications. This is often
primarily a visual deterrent
since a well prepared burglar
can breach barbed wire and
barbed tape barriers in similar
amounts of time, using simple
techniques such as cutting the
wire or throwing a piece of old
carpet over its strands.
Residential usage of barbed tape
has been criticized by some as
the aggressive appearance of the
barbs is thought to detract from
the appearance of a
neighborhood.
