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NewsDay

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Shoot-to-kill: dangerous policy

Opinion & Analysis
THOUGH the order to police officers to shoot to kill carjackers and armed robbers sounds plausible and is welcome, it could prove tragic if abused.

THOUGH the order to police officers to shoot to kill carjackers and armed robbers sounds plausible and is welcome, it could prove tragic if abused.

NewsDay Editorial

Last Friday the officer commanding Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Senior Assistant Commissioner Simon Nyathi instructed the police to shoot to kill armed robbers and carjackers.

Nyathi was speaking at Morris Depot at a memorial service for Thadius Chapinga, a Detective Assistant Inspector from Braeside Police Station, who was gunned down in Harare last week.

“Those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” Nyathi said referring to an old adage. “They have started a war they will never win. As police, we now have orders to shoot and kill such perpetrators.”

Nyathi’s warning is welcome and it shows the resolve by the police to protect people and their property, but could turn tragic if abused by the police.  While we do not condone robbery or carjacking, the open cheque to shoot and kill given to the police will be of concern to many people.

It is regrettable that many police officers have died during encounters with robbers and carjackers, and sure, the country cannot continue losing its skilled security personnel to these unruly elements. Something ought to be done, but publicly declaring the intent to shoot to kill would be catastrophic for the country.

Shooting to kill should be the last option for police officers. Their mandate is to apprehend suspects and bring them to justice. A suspect is innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. The policy contravenes the country’s constitution which protects the rights of all citizens including suspects. The shoot-to-kill policy is never a protective measure for the police.

Shooting to kill is tantamount to extra-judicial killings. It does not safeguard the life of the police officer. Police officers should not be allowed to shoot to kill before somebody has been given the opportunity to prove their innocence.

Reports abound that several suspects have been shot dead in police custody and, given Nyathi’s directive, many more suspects will be killed even if they would not have resisted arrest.

Somewhere in this newspaper we have a story of several suspects who were allegedly killed in police custody.

Zimbabwe is approaching elections soon and if claims by the MDCs that the police have been siding with Zanu PF during election times are true, we might end up having people being murdered for political reasons on the pretext that they are robbers or carjackers.