Everyone one has the right of private defence and if police officers face attack by deathly force their right to respond is well settled and not up for argument.

That said there is currently some public concern over incidents where persons have been shot and killed by the police. As such matters are the subject of investigation both by the senior police authorities and the judicial ones it is best to leave individual cases there.

But there are matters of principle that concern not only the police and the judiciary but the general public as well. The latter are entitled to feel as secure as possible in civil society and to know that they enjoy the protection of their police force. They are equally entitled to know that all members of the Force are properly instructed in the legal use of firearms in the course of their duty. The police are not the army. They are there to prevent and detect crime and any use of lethal force by them should occur only in unavoidable circumstances. Senior officers have a duty to ensure that all under their command are fully briefed and trained in the lawful use of firearms and no doubt the IGP will re-inforce that in the light of recent incidents. No one in Malaysia wants “cowboy” type “justice” enforced at the point of a gun.