Guangdong police yesterday reiterated that they have the right to shoot suspects who resist arrest or threaten police lives.

The remarks came after a day in which one suspect was killed and another injured after police opened fire in downtown areas of Guangzhou city.

"The Ministry of Public Security has detailed rules and regulations to guide when and where police can open fire, and we have required police on duty to shoot according to these rules and regulations," a police officer from Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security yesterday.

"Shooting deters criminals and demonstrates the police's determination to bring illegal events under control in a city where the crime rate used to be high," said the official, who refused to be named.

On Tuesday morning, police chased a suspect who stole money from a credit co-operative in Haizhu District. The suspect resisted arrest despite police firing two warning shots.

The suspect then brandished a 25-centimetre knife and tried to attack an officer who attempted to detain him. Five shots were fired to kill the suspect, who was 40 years old but has not yet been identified.

In a separate incident in the evening in Liwan District police moved to detain three suspects, who immediately ran away. One of the suspects then took out a home-made explosive device and a home-made pistol. Police shot and injured him, and arrested the three.

Xie Xiaolan, a local office worker, said shooting suspects who resisted arrest would help bring down the city's high crime rate and help create good social order.

"The wider and correct use of firearms will also help deter other suspects," Xie said. She said she had been a victim of crime three times this year.

Zhang Renyi, a local lawyer, said he hoped police would make public the rules and regulations concerning shooting, and take effective measures to prevent police and civilians from danger. Zhang also believed the policy would help cut the city's crime rate.

Tuesday was not the first time that police have shot suspects who resisted arrest in a downtown area this year.

In April, three police officers were awarded 10,000 yuan (US$1,250) each after they shot dead a thief and detained another two. The three criminals defied police warnings to stop and attempted to run away after they robbed a women's necklace on a busy street.

Zhang Guifang, deputy Party secretary of Guangzhou in charge of public security, also praised the police and encouraged other officers to shoot when criminal suspects resist arrest and threaten police lives.

Editor: Yan