It was emphasized yesterday by Guangdong police that they have the right to shoot suspects who resist arrest or threaten police lives.

The remarks came after a day in which one suspect was killed and another wounded when police opened fire in downtown areas of the city.

"The Ministry of Public Security has detailed rules and regulations to guide on duty police on when and where they can open fire and they're required to follow these procedures before using their firearms," a police officer from Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security said yesterday.

"The potential for the use of firearms deters criminals and demonstrates police determination to bring illegal events under control in a city where the crime rate used to be high," said another official who refused to be named.

On Tuesday morning police chased a suspect who stole money from a credit cooperative in Haizhu District. The suspect resisted arrest despite police firing two warning shots.

The suspect then brandished a 25-centimetre knife and tried to attack an officer who attempted to detain him. Five shots were fired and the 40-year-old suspect, who has not yet been named, was killed.

In another incident in the evening in Liwan District police moved to detain three suspects who ran away. One of them had an explosive device and a pistol, both of which were homemade. Police shot and injured him and arrested the three.

Xie Xiaolan, a local office worker, said shooting suspects who resisted arrest would help bring down the city's high crime rate and assist create good social order. "The wider and correct use of firearms will also help deter others," Xie said. She said she'd been a crime victim three times this year.

Zhang Renyi, a local lawyer, said he hoped police would make public the rules and regulations concerning shooting and take effective measures to ensure civilians and police were not put in unnecessary danger. Zhang also believed the policy would help cut the city's crime rate.

Tuesday was not the first time police have shot suspects who resisted arrest in a downtown area this year.

In April, three police officers were awarded 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) each after they shot dead a thief and detained another two. The three criminals defied police warnings to stop and attempted to run away after they stole a necklace from a woman on a busy street.

Zhang Guifang, deputy Party secretary of Guangzhou in charge of public security, also praised the police and backed officers in the use of firearms when criminal suspects resisted arrest and threatened lives.

(China Daily July 27, 2006)