Tanzanian police 'shoot to kill'

Police deny claims they are too prone to violence

Five people have been killed in Tanzania since police began a shoot-to-kill policy over the weekend.

The new president wants police to crack down on armed criminals and has created a ministry to deal with the problem.

Minister of Public Safety and Security Bakari Mwapachu, who was sworn in earlier in January, issued the shoot-to-kill order last week.

Police deny that innocent people have been caught up in shooting and say only armed gangsters are being targeted.

'Tired'

"We kill notorious robbers, not innocent people," Abdallah Zombe, acting police commander of Tanzania's main city of Dar es Salaam, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

He said the four people shot on Saturday in Dar es Salaam's city centre were all armed suspects.

I don't think there is anything wrong with killing someone who is ready to kill Dar es Salaam resident

Police say another man was killed outside the city on Monday and his accomplice, who was carrying a sub-machine gun and ammunition, was also picked up.

President Jakaya Kikwete, who won 80% of the votes in December's elections, created the new ministry earlier this month in response to rising armed crime.

The BBC's John Ngahyoma in Dar es Salaam says people have welcomed the police shoot-to-kill move, but urged caution.

"These acts of robbery keep happening and now they're using weapons. Society is tired of the situation and the court procedures take a long, long time," one man in the city told our reporter.

Another person urged police only to kill those people who carried guns.

"A thief is a thief and should not be shot. But an armed robber will kill you if you don't shoot first. So I don't think there is anything wrong with killing someone who is ready to kill," he said.

Earlier, business leaders hailed President Kikwete's tough line as they say investors are worried about the rising violence, our correspondent says.

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Are shoot-to-kill policies just headline-grabbing publicity stunts? Will they deter armed criminals or are they more likely to make police trigger happy and society a more violent place - with innocent people getting killed in the cross fire? Have you experienced anything similar in your country? If you are a policeman, what is your opinion?

Let us know your views using the form below.

A selection of your comments be published below and be broadcast on the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Saturday 21 January 2006.

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No-one has a right to kill. Life is sacred and we must protect it. Those who kill are the criminals.
Munala Dancan, Sweden

Shoot to kill policies are put in place for a reason. If you don't have arms and you don't walk around city streets with weapons, you shouldn't be worried, but rather supportive of the police who have the tough job of protecting the interests of civilians. If police are forced to deal with spontaneous armed militants, what else do you expect them to do? Negotiating with terrorists is unacceptable, so therefore, they must be eliminated. This isn't quick justice, it's self-defence for police and innocent civilians.
Ariel, Toronto, Canada

There are reasons why every country has a court system, and this policy effectively bypasses it. In this case the police have literally been given carte blanche to make their own laws. And all it takes is one police officer that wants to settle a grudge.
Cosmin N., Toronto, Canada

I am citizen of Tanzania and I live in Dar-es Salaam where the unfortunate action happened in Mkunguni Street at a jeweller's shop. But I do not support the killing because we need to arrest those people to know where they get their weapons and if we kill them we will never find out which big fish were behind them so that they can be arrested and face justice.
Thabi, Tanzania

Giving police a shoot to kill policy is not the way to diffuse an already violent situation. True robbers in Africa tend to be armed - but officially allowing police to shoot a suspect will just increase the innocents' body count. The Nubian
The Nubian, Switzerland

This shoot-to-kill policy was introduced by Military police and Special police squads in Rwanda and Uganda respectively after the killers had become a threat. You can now see how peaceful Rwanda and Uganda are in respect to the above! I have no mercy for a person who, not only tries to take away peoples' property, but also their lives! Bravo President Kikwete!
Nathan Rwomushana, Norway

While I agree with a strong message being sent to armed criminals, I fear this "shoot to kill" policy will give police in Dar more power than they need. Having this power will deminish the power of the judicial system, and leave law-abiding citizens to fend for themselves against police who may be use this power for illegal and selfish gains.
Robert Michelin, New York, United States

I lived in Nigeria almost all my young life and I can say that these measures are surely needed. There was a period in Nigeria where armed robbers were publicly executed and it did help reduce crime. You must understand our courts are usually corrupt and a rich armed robber can easily pay his way out, so shooting to kill is very appropriate. The innocent rarely get caught in the mess as most armed robbers are known anyway and the majority of civilians don't own or carry guns.
Esen, USA

It seems awful to allow the killing of suspects without any kind of due-process at all. But if someone is waving an automatic weapon around during a robbery, it is fair that the threat be taken seriously.
Sebastian, Philadelphia, PA, USA

The increase of armed robberies in Tanzania is alarming, sometimes in daylight hours in the centre of town! I believe this is directly related to the government's privatization of the gun business/industry - a big mistake. Mob justice is common in Tanzania (when weapons are not involved), but has not helped. I truly believe that gun totting criminals should equally be treated with guns. However, previously in Tanzania, innocent bystanders (including cases of mistaken identity) have actually been killed by cops. It is therefore a very scary situation if some trigger happy or scared cops start firing indiscriminately.
Barouk , Tanzanian in the US

Shoot to kill is an emotive phrase which really means shoot to protect the rest of us. If you have done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear. If you chose to live in Tanzania, one must then accept their rules and live by them. If I were to live in United Kingdom, Canada, India or Saudi Arabia etc I would be expected to follow their laws. I support the present policy regarding 'Shoot to protect'. Support the police and help in every way to root out those who would impose their oppressive ideas on others. However, sensitivity training needs to be given to the officers involved in order to avoid deadly mistakes.
Josephat Musyoka Mua, Kenyan in USA

Aggressive policies may in the immediate provide relief. However, only the tackling of the underlying issues would deter people from committing crimes such as armed robbery. In the case of Africa the key factor is the lack of employment and widespread poverty. Tazania is no different. Lessons may be learnt from the inefficacy of such strategies, from the contemporary situation in Nigeria, the home of the most violent robbery cases in Africa. The various anti-robbery initiatives and outfits, some valiantly named (operation fire for fire, flush, crush etc) have only ended up strengthening the resolve of the bandits and heightened their quest to obtain infantry level weaponry for the pursuit of despicable activities. Victims constantly abound from the exchange of fire between the law enforcement agents and the robbers. In the final analysis only sustained government commitment to addressing the economic needs of the people can lead to a decline in violent crimes, not force. The UK is a clear example where this has worked and continues to succed.
Arinze Anyaegbunam, London, UK

I was in Dar recently and was attacked right outside the new fish market in broad daylight. NO gun just a panga. Gave me 10 stitches in my right hand and a bang on the head. The police at the ferry station and central were brilliant but when I was in the central police station I was appalled at their lack of resources. The new president needs to look hard at how they are resourced - indeed pay it a visit and see for himself, it's not far.
Peter Rutherford, Caernarfon Wales UK

I don't think that a very poor country like Tanzania where democracy is poorly demonstrated can survive with this policy, this, to my opinion will be a chance to unethical police officers to practice their personal conflicts over others and use the policy to shoot them. I am totally disappointed with what the ministry is trying to practice, a few days ago one of my fellow student was shot only for the purpose that he was suspected a criminal while the opposite was right. Please don't shoot innocent people!
Godfrey Richard, Iringa-Tanzania

It was very peaceful city, but now we are leaving in fear of getting shot by armed robbers. My concern is this; where do these people get the guns? Is it from the army? Police? Across borders? Refugees?... I support shoot to kill policy but we also need to know how they acquire these guns in order to solve this problem.
Jimmy, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Didn't anyone see this coming? It is about 5 years since a gun shop opened in Dar-es-Salaam, at that time the law was relaxed to allow more people to buy guns. What did the government of the time think that people would do with the guns?
Darwin Smith, London, UK

The increasingly robbery banditry involving guns has been a new phenomenon in Tanzania. In contrast to one of commentators claiming increasing of robberies in Tanzania is due to the government allowing gun shops, I believe Tanzania is overwhelmed with weapons flocking in from the neighbouring conflict regions in the Great Lakes.
Mark Msaki, Tanzanian in South Africa

It's nice to hear that Tanzania has come up with a policy that will deal with hardcore criminals. I'm originally from Uganda and this policy worked well in my country. I have live in Tanzania before and am surprise to hear that criminals are spoiling the image of a very beautiful country.
FRANK MAGALA NAMUKANGULA, BOSTON,U.S.A

This is really a moral question! Shoot to kill policy will neither deter hard-core criminals to reform nor stabilize the now high crime wave in Tanzania. It will only enhance killing innocent lives especially in crowded places. Real problems need to be addressed such as creating more job opportunities for the people. Shoot to kill will not solve the problem of unemployment.
CRISPIN KUKANO, Malole-Kasama Zambia

A shoot-to-disable policy is the most police should be authorised to carry out for armed gangsters. We in Nairobi are suffering even more than Dar from criminals who kill during robbery, so I am not minimizing the problem. Indeed, four close relatives of mine have been murdered during robbery. But a shoot-to-kill policy, even for armed gangsters, is unacceptable. The police should try every possible means to arrest the armed robber, and if that is not possible, shoot to disable so that the suspect can be apprehended. This should be followed by a speedy and fair trial, with mandatory minimum sentences. Shooting to kill is inhumane, and should be the absolutely last resort.
Salim Lone, Nairobi, Kenya

As a Tanzanian who has been a victim of robbery I support the policy 100%.It is my belief that poverty should not be an excuse of one preparing kill in order to steal. It is therefore justice for the them (armed robbers) to face the consequence of their decision i.e. get killed.
Senzige, Tanzanian, The Hague, Netherlands

I feel that the, "shoot-to-kill" policy is not getting to the root of the problem. In my opinion, there is something fundamentally wrong. The new measures that are being taken in Tanzania are only going to escalate the problem. In the interest of acquiring much needed money in an impoverished country like Tanzania, people will resort to extreme measures. Robbers will still rob, and killers will still kill. This behaviour will exist as long as poverty and inequality prosper. The correct way to stop robbers from robbing and people from killing, is to set up effective systems to ensure fair and sufficient distribution of resources to the unfortunate, and help the people who so much need it, the poor, and the hungry!
Ben Daniel, Wayland, U.S.A.

The incidences of armed robbery are definitely increasing here in Tanzania. While I don't advocate the killing of people, many situations the police and civilians face here are definitely 'kill or be killed'. The court system is next to useless as wealthy hardened criminals buy their freedom. Case in point, a renowned criminal who was arrested for stealing motor vehicles at gunpoint is now out on the streets again, less than 6 months after his arrest. I know one of his victims personally, and he was terrified at the time. Only last week in Arusha a businessman was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight, after a public holiday, so he couldn't bank his takings. Well meaning Westerners who state that 'there are reasons why there is a court system' don't understand how things operate in Africa! We are looking forward to seeing change in this country with our new President.
Paul Scouller, Arusha, Tanzania

While President Kikwete's intention to fight armed robbers has to be applauded, his method to address this scourge cannot be condoned. Shooting to kill suspects (which is what they are, unless proved guilty) without any attempt to arrest them cannot be justified. Yes, the police may claim mistaken identity in case of killing of innocent civilians or justify it as legitimate mistake. In the land of often corrupt and greedy police forces (which is public knowledge), one cannot trust the cops to use discretion or warnings or shooting not-to-kill (in the leg, for example) to address this issue. Unless there is accountability or investigation in to every shooting, this is a BAD policy.
Shabbir, Toronto, Canada

Shoot to kill policy might work but how many innocent people will be caught in the cross fire. Remember the internal security minister in Kenya did issue the same order to Kenya police to kill anyone carrying a gun. We haven't seen any results from that. Crime is still high and innocent people are still losing their lives.
Kimani Njuguna, Stockholm Sweden

Only if police lives are in danger should they use fire power. More important is to retrain the police on how to implement this policy and is expected to achieve.
Nasser Ali Mohamed, Muscat, Oman

The shoot to kill order will be an opportunity for the police to shoot down their supposed enemy or to settle personal scores and in most cases in Africa, it has been hijacked to also settle political scores, until the government is responsive and committed to peoples plight, create employment, provide shelter for their people and tackle the widespread poverty in their country, it is only then crime and other nefarious activities can be reduced to the minimal level.
Adeoye Aderemi, Nigeria

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