Run them over !

“Lae top cop urges rough stuff against carjackers”

(Frontpage in today’s National Courier – 6/9/2005)

Mamose police chief Giossi Labi urges motorists to:

“If you see anyone standing in the middle of the road with a gun and who is not a policeman, run them down,”

{end of newspaper stuff}

{start of my thoughts}

When I started to read this article in the newspaper at lunch time today, I looked away from the paper for a moment, shook my head and squinted my eyes not really believing what I was reading.

In my view, the above message from the local police chief raises a number concerns and also some questions:

- Does this mean that anyone other than a policeman standing in the middle of the road is “fair game”?

- I have seen armed security guards in Lae stand in the middle of the road (with rifles), whilst cash was being carried from an armoured van to the local ANZ bank.

- What if the raskol is wielding a bush knife instead of a gun?

- Let’s say that I follow the advice from the police chief and run down a raskol, one with a gun and standing in the middle of the road. Let’s assume that the raskol dies. Could I not then use the newspaper article as evidence in court to beat the manslaughter (or murder) charge?

- Poor old soldiers !!

- Should police be encouraging citizens to take the law into their own hands?

- Can one ever justify murder?

- Etc…