| During the period 1986 to 1996 a number of civilians were shot and killed by members of the Victorian police force, occasioning public outcry and calls for greater training and accountability of individual police officers. This paper examines the concepts of "justification" and "excuse" and their utility in assessing the accountability of police use of potentially deadly force. In particular it is suggested that Just War Theory provides a sound philosophical and ethical framework for understanding the practical issues facing contemporary police forces and individual police officers. |
Updated 05/20/2006