Cameron orders shoot to kill review

Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday ordered an internal review to give armed UK police officers greater protection from prosecution, amid fears that security forces do not have enough legal backing to use guns in the case of a Paris-like attack. The review will examine whether the law gives enough support to officers making a “split- second” decision to shoot in the wake of the Paris attacks last month that killed 129 people. It follows concerns from senior police that firearms officers in Britain do not have the necessary legal or political backing to work with confidence in the instance of a similar attack in the UK. Of the 130,000 officers in England and Wales, around 6,000 are trained to use guns, but the government has announced plans to significantly increase that number. The internal review, to be carried out by the UK Home Office is expected to examine whether those laws go far enough to protect armed officers.