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Posted on 03/27/2007 6:36:28 AM PDT by 1066AD
March 27, 2007 Mugabe gives police licence to kill
Police officers throughout Zimbabwe have now been authorised to use firearms against civilians whenever violence erupts on the streets. They have been told that if they shoot a civilian dead they will not face a murder charge.
A source at Harare central police headquarters confirmed today that this decision was taken on Monday morning at a regular briefing meeting. On Monday afternoon the instruction was radioed to police stations throughout the country.
Each police officer is to have a daily allocation of five rounds of ammunition, and stocks are sufficient for the entire Zimbabwe force.
"Authorities fear that if the police do not adopt a hard stance against the growing number of violent activities, the situation might get out of hand," said the source.
He referred to the petrol bombing last week of a crowded passenger train from Harare to Bulawayo, when fortunately only five people were injured. "They anticipate further violence after the lifting of bans on political rallies and the impending strike called by the trade unions in early April," he said.
The move to arm all police, even those with no training in weaponry and its use, is thought also to have come after a March 12 memo to the Zimbabwean government from Police Chief Augustine Chihuri.
In the memo - reported in this column on March 21 - Chihuri said he needed to spend Z$5 trillion (£125m) to get his force up to strength, re-trained and re-equipped.
It is not known whether he has yet sourced all or part of that money. But the Central Bank of Zimbabwe has a simple method to finance projects which are deemed urgent. It just prints the money.
FIRST POSTED MARCH 27, 2007
Related links: Veteran vows to fight Mugabe More from our Harare correspondent: ANC must stop pussy-footing
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk?menudID=2&subID=1585
btw...cue the crickets...
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Indiscriminate murder of civilians is a mere way-station on the road to socialist Hell.
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Sounds like he took a page from the DEA and drug task force playbooks here in the states!
"Sounds like he took a page from the DEA and drug task force playbooks here in the states!"
Nah, here in the States the police get all the rounds they want.
How is that any different than here in the states? It is funny how most of this thread lamented how far Zimbabwe has fallen, but really in the police state arena, they've fallen just enough to be equal with us.
Officers shoot civilians everyday here in the states and almost never face any sort of criminal action. All the officers have to say is that they followed procedure and they somehow felt threatened.
You're right, they often use full auto which requires much more ammo. I stand corrected
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