British Police used "banned bullets" in July "shoot to kill"

international | crime and justice | other press

Wednesday November 16, 2005 15:42

by iosaf

Latest twist in the killing of De Menezes on July 22 in london at Kennington tube station.

The Daily Telegraph has revealed that the police who killed Jean Charles de Menezes used _illegal_ "dum dum" bullets.

["Modern hollow point bullets are descendants of the expanding "dum dum" ammunition created by the British in an arsenal of the same name near Calcutta, in India, at the end of the 19th century and outlawed under the Hague Declaration of 1899.

The bullets, which expand and splinter on impact, were available to officers taking part in Operation Kratos, the national police drive against suspected suicide bombers which has been described as a "shoot to kill" policy."]

article :-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/16/nmenez16.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/16/ixportaltop.html
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2251712005

related news, Ian Blair the British Police chief has said he wants a public debate on the shoot to kill policy.
http://www.channel4.com/news/content/news-storypage.jsp?id=1242224
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2249412005
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4441112.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,16518,1643599,00.html

And CofE bishop of southwark (south london) Tom Butler has defended shoot to kill on BBC radio 4.describing such killings as a lesser of two evils. "Sometimes we have to judge between two things that are wrong to produce the best result,"
...
"Obviously, killing somebody is never a right thing to do, but if it prevents many other people being killed, it may be the only thing to do."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15404719.htm