The shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes at Stockwell underground station in 2005 raised acute issues about operational practice, legitimacy, accountability and policy making regarding police use of fatal force. It dramatically exposed a policy, referred to popularly as 'shoot to kill', which came not from Parliament but from the non-statutory ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers). This vital and timely book unravels these often misunderstood matters with a fresh look at firearms practice and policy in a traditionally 'unarmed' police service. It is essential reading for all those interested in the state's role in defining coercion and in policing a democracy.
Contents: Part One: State-sanctioned killings: Use of fatal force by the state in the UK; International state and state agency deviance; Part Two: Dilemmas for the state arising from The Troubles in Northern Ireland: The slippery slope; Rough justice and dirty tricks; Part Three: Covert policy and evasion of accountability: Conclusion.
