Uruguay police demand right to shoot suspects in back

Police in Uruguay are calling for new regulations that would allow them to shoot suspects in the back, arguing the current rules give criminals the upper hand.

"It's not a very pretty solution. We know it's going to be criticized. But the reality is that today a criminal pulls a gun and kills a policeman or a citizen," said Fabricio Rios of the national police union.

The union also wants police to be allowed to open fire first.

Under current police regulations, officers can only return fire and are barred from shooting suspects in the back.

Union leaders said fleeing criminals have taken to shooting under their shoulders or behind them at chasing officers, knowing the police cannot return fire.

"Crime has changed. They don't threaten you anymore, they just kill you," union leader Patricia Rodriguez told TV network Channel 20.

She said the South American country needed to get over the lingering trauma of its 1973-1985 dictatorship, when the security forces committed human rights abuses.

"We're stuck in the past here. We're constantly brooding over human rights. But the ones whose human rights are not being respected in this case are workers in general and also the police," she said.

Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi recently said the current regulations "cause problems" for the police.

Three police were killed in the line of duty last year in this country of 3.3 million people, according to the interior ministry.

Uruguay has one of the lowest homicide rates in Latin America, with 262 murders last year. But crime rates have been rising, fueling criticism of the left-wing government.