WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL ABOUT POLICE SHOOTING SUSPECTS?

WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PROTOCOL ABOUT POLICE SHOOTING SUSPECTS? Let me begin with a blunt statement that many people may find uncomfortable: there is no international protocol that gives police a blanket authority to shoot suspects. None. Zero. What exists instead are strict global rules that limit the use of firearms and treat every police shooting as an exceptional, last-resort act that must always be investigated. The most widely accepted standard is the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms (1990). These are anchored on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which enshrine the right to life as sacred. The message is simple but firm: Police may only use lethal force to protect life, not to punish, not to arrest faster, not to prevent escape, and certainly not to send a message. Under international law, four principles always apply: necessity, proportionality, precaution, and accountability. Necessity means force may only be used if it is truly unavoidable. Proportionality means the response must match the level of threat. Precaution means police must plan operations to minimize harm to everyone. Accountability means every use of firearms must be reported, investigated, and reviewed. So can police shoot a suspect who draws a weapon? The honest international answer is: it depends on the threat. If a suspect draws a gun but does not aim it or threaten anyone, officers are expected to give warnings, create distance, seek cover, use negotiation, or employ less-lethal weapons if available. Shooting at that stage is not automatically justified. But once a suspect points a firearm or clearly prepares to use it, creating an imminent threat to life, the officer may lawfully shoot — not to kill — but to stop the threat and protect lives. Even then, it must still pass the tests of necessity and proportionality. What is absolutely forbidden under international law is this: You cannot shoot simply to stop a fleeing suspect. You cannot shoot to enforce obedience. You cannot shoot as punishment. And you certainly cannot treat every armed suspect as already “fair game.” Now let’s bring this discussion home to the Philippines. Here, the popular thinking on the street often sounds like this: “If the suspect draws a gun, the police can already shoot.” Many people even go further and say: “The suspect deserved it.” That kind of thinking is dangerous — for the police, for citizens, and for the rule of law. The correct interpretation, even under our own rules of police engagement, aligns with international standards: a drawn weapon alone is not yet an automatic death sentence. What changes everything is the creation of imminent danger — when the suspect clearly intends to use that weapon immediately. This distinction matters. Without it, every encounter becomes a potential summary execution. And international law is very clear: summary executions are a gross human rights violation. Another point often forgotten is this: law enforcement is a civilian service, not a military function. Police exist to protect rights, not suspend them. War logic has no place on the streets of a democracy. I also want to stress accountability. Under international standards, every discharge of a firearm must be investigated — even if the shooting appears justified. This is not anti-police. In fact, it protects good officers from false accusations and protects citizens from abuse. So I ask some hard but necessary questions: Are all police shootings in our country automatically reviewed by independent bodies? Is the public given transparent results of these investigations? Are officers regularly trained in de-escalation, not just in marksmanship? Do they have access to less-lethal options — tasers, shields, pepper spray — before bullets? If the answer to any of these is “no,” then we are not yet fully aligned with global standards. Let me be clear: I am not anti-police. I am pro-life, pro-rule of law, and pro-professional policing. The gun should always be the last resort, not the first reflex. In the end, the real question is not “Can police shoot?” The real question is: Have we built a system where guns are used only when all other options have truly failed — and where truth, justice, and accountability always follow after the gunfire stops? That, not fear, is what defines a civilized democracy. BY RAMON IKE V. SENERES www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/10-23-2026