That’s what South Africa’s deputy police minister, Fikile Mbalula advised and he has stood by his department’s tough, shoot-to-kill policy.  Yes, a three-year-old boy was shot dead by the officers, but, Mbalula explains that it was inevitable that innocent people would get caught in the crossfire.  He stands by his “shoot the bastards” directive, calling the targets “hard nut to crack, incorrigible criminals.”

In all fairness, South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of violent crime.  The statistics say it all: on average, there are 50 killing tied to violent crime each day.  What has happened to this state that just a couple of decades ago was a leading industrialized country?

In response to their plight, the government is pushing through changes to its Criminal Procedure Act to enable police to use deadly force more easily, despite the potential for a spike in the loss of innocent lives.  President Jacob Zuma defended his government, stating that the sheer level of violent crime in South Africa makes it very different from other countries, and thus the approach has to be different.  He continues on to say that criminals take out guns when confronted and without warning, they kill, and this has resulted in many lives lost on the part of the police.

He concludes by arguing that officers should be supported, and that a good policeman should not have to keep his weapon holstered at the expense of his very own life.  “…because I’m a very good policeman I am here…[but when confronted with a gun] I’m not going to shoot you?” Zuma said.