S AFRICA’S SHOOT-TO-KILL POLICY
Nov 13th, 2009 by admin
South Africa’s deputy police minister Fikile Mabula yesterday defended his force’s shoot-to-kill policy, just days after a police officer shot dead a three-year-old boy. Mr Mabula argued it is inevitable that innocent people will be caught in the crossfire against what he called “incorrigible criminals” and urged police to “shoot the bastards”. Three-year-old Atlegang Phalane was next to his uncle in the back seat of a car when police hunting a murder suspect shot him by mistake on Saturday in Midrand, near Johannesburg. The officer who fired the shot claimed he saw the boy holding a pipe that resembled a firearm. However, the government’s police watchdog said no object like that was found in the car.