By Caiphus Kgosana Political Bureau
President Jacob Zuma has warned that police don't have a licence to kill, and the secretary of police has pointed out that police killings of civilians were on the increase before the shoot-to-kill controversy.
After doing damage control in parliament on Thursday, Zuma issued a strongly-worded statement yesterday that shoot-to-kill was neither legal, nor government policy.
"No police officer has the permission to shoot suspects in circumstances other than those provided for by law. The law does not give the police a licence to kill," he said.
Interestingly, Deputy Police Minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters that civilian killing was inevitable in crime operations.
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He uncompromisingly repeated his radical statement, including saying: "Yes, shoot the bastards, hard-nut to crack, incorrigible criminals."
But Zuma slammed those he said had reduced government's anti-crime strategy to police's use of firepower.
He emphasised that Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa, with no mention of Mbalula, has outlined a comprehensive crime strategy.
"Our government has placed crime at the top of its agenda. We want to reduce serious and violent crimes by the set target of 7 to 10 percent per annum. Given the comprehensive nature of our fight against crime, it is tragically misleading to reduce our strategy and activities to the amendment of a section of one law," he said.
Zuma indicated that the use of deadly force was not banned.
"It is the duty of the police to protect all people against injury or loss of life. But when their lives, or the lives of innocent civilians, are threatened, police sometimes have no choice but to use lethal force to defend themselves and others.
However, we expect our officers to observe the law and respect the rights of innocent citizens at all times. No police officer has a licence to kill."
Jenny Irish-Qhobosheane, the civilian police secretary in charge of policy in the SA Police Service, said the police ministry had noted an increase in incidents of police shootings of civilians over three years.
This indicated that shoot-to-kill messages reported recently were not behind an increase in the fatal shooting of civilians.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on November 14, 2009
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