THE South African Policing Union would like to call on members of the South African Police Services to take precautionary measures before using so-called deadly force in the line of duty.

While we acknowledge the unacceptable level of police killings it must be noted that members are fully informed about when to shoot.

In fact, Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act is clear about when to shoot.

We call on our members not to be misled by politicians who speak irresponsibly in order to attract news headlines and attention.

There is no doubt about Sapu's genuine role as the true vanguard of police officers since its inception in 1993.

We have proved ourselves in the hundreds of battles we have won on behalf of our members.

We cannot let them down in this hour.

The shoot-to-kill calls by some politicians should not confuse police officers because each and every member knows when to shoot.

We have been calling on the authorities to address the socioeconomic situation in the country first.

Also, convicted police killers should be made to suffer in prison for their actions.

There is no documentary evidence that the shoot-to-kill notion has reduced police killings in South Africa, let alone the general crime levels.

We have concrete proposals that we have told the government about but to no avail.

Police officers must at all times perform their duties within the parameters of the law.

Oscar Skommere, Pretoria