Police in South Africa were ordered yesterday to deal with criminals by "killing the bastards".
Susan Shabangu, the country's security minister, told officers not to worry about regulations, negotiations or warning shots.
Instead, police should use the guns given to them and go for the kill.
South Africa has become the murder capital of the world with more than 22,000 deaths a year.
Rape, pistol-whipping and torture are commonplace.
England and Wales, with a population little larger than that of South Africa, have around 700 murders a year.
Mrs Shabangu's comments came at a public meeting to discuss her government's response to soaring crime rates.
Aiming her words at police chiefs, she said of criminals: "You must kill the bastards if they threaten you or the community. You must not worry about the regulations - that is my responsibility. Your responsibility is to serve and protect.
"I want no warning shots. You have one shot and it must be a kill shot.
"Criminals are hell-bent on undermining the law and they must now be dealt with. End of story. There are to be no negotiations with criminals."
Read more: Shoot the bastards... and shoot to kill: South African minister tells police to show criminals no mercy | Mail Online
Susan Shabangu, the country's security minister, told officers not to worry about regulations, negotiations or warning shots.
Instead, police should use the guns given to them and go for the kill.
South Africa has become the murder capital of the world with more than 22,000 deaths a year.
Rape, pistol-whipping and torture are commonplace.
England and Wales, with a population little larger than that of South Africa, have around 700 murders a year.
Mrs Shabangu's comments came at a public meeting to discuss her government's response to soaring crime rates.
Aiming her words at police chiefs, she said of criminals: "You must kill the bastards if they threaten you or the community. You must not worry about the regulations - that is my responsibility. Your responsibility is to serve and protect.
"I want no warning shots. You have one shot and it must be a kill shot.
"Criminals are hell-bent on undermining the law and they must now be dealt with. End of story. There are to be no negotiations with criminals."
Read more: Shoot the bastards... and shoot to kill: South African minister tells police to show criminals no mercy | Mail Online
But then there's the other side ... the heat ... trigger happy cops who get their jollies playing with themselves while they watch "Cops". Even in boring, low-crime, peaceful Canada a kid armed with a pocket knife takes six rounds ... a confused Polish tourist, armed only with a stapler, gets tasered to death by the horsemen at Vancouver International. The violence infects both sides.