Prime Minister Gaston Browne says police officers should be permitted to defend themselves with lethal force when criminals shoot at them, warning that he does not want such incidents automatically labelled as extrajudicial killings.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show on Pointe FM, Browne addressed the issue while announcing an expanded security response to armed robberies and gun violence in Antigua and Barbuda.

“When they fire shots at the police and the police kill them, I don’t want to hear nothing about extrajudicial killings,” Browne said.

His remarks did not amount to a direct instruction for police to kill anyone who fires at them. Instead, the prime minister argued that officers must be able to return fire to protect themselves when confronted by armed suspects.

Browne said criminals are increasingly carrying high-powered weapons and maintained that law enforcement personnel must be properly equipped to respond.

“They’re coming out with their big guns; we’re putting our big guns on the road too,” he said.

The prime minister also called for all police officers to be armed and confirmed that Defence Force personnel would be deployed alongside police as part of intensified patrols.

Browne made a similar argument earlier in the programme, saying that suspects sometimes fire at police and are killed when officers return fire in self-defence.

The comments are likely to fuel debate over police use of lethal force and abatements for officers involved in fatal confrontations. Police shootings are generally subject to investigation to determine whether the force used was lawful and justified by the threat officers faced.

Browne maintained that armed officers should not be condemned for defending themselves when their lives are placed in immediate danger.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: VIDEO: PM wants law enforcement to kill criminals who open fire on them.