Guangdong police yesterday reiterated 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 injured after police opened fire in downtown areas of the
city.
"The Ministry of Public Security has detailed rules and
regulations to guide when and where police can open fire, and we
have required police on duty to shoot according to these rules and
regulations," a police officer from Guangdong Provincial Bureau of
Public Security yesterday.
"Shooting deters criminals and demonstrates the police's
determination to bring illegal events under control in a city where
the crime rate used to be high," said the official, who refused to
be named.
On Tuesday morning, police chased a suspect who stole money from
a credit co-operative in Haizhu District. The suspect resisted
arrest despite police firing two warning shots.
The suspect then brandished a 25-centimeter knife and tried to
attack an officer who attempted to detain him. Five shots were
fired to kill the suspect, who was 40 years old but has not yet
been identified.
In a separate incident in the evening in Liwan District police
moved to detain three suspects, who immediately ran away. One of
the suspects then took out a home-made explosive device and a
home-made pistol. 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 help create good social order.
"The wider and correct use of firearms will also help deter
other suspects," Xie said. She said she had been a victim of crime
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 prevent police and civilians from danger.
Zhang also believed the policy would help cut the city's crime
rate.
Tuesday was not the first time that 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 robbed a women's necklace on a
busy street.
Zhang Guifang, deputy Party secretary of Guangzhou in charge of
public security, also praised the police and encouraged other
officers to shoot when criminal suspects resist arrest and threaten
police lives.
(China Daily July 27, 2006)