Lithuania’s interior minister is calling for changes to the rules governing when law enforcement officers can use firearms, including removing the requirement that a danger be unavoidable and restoring the option of firing a warning shot.
“The requirement should be only that there is a danger, while the requirement that it be unavoidable should be removed,” Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas told TV3 news on Monday. “The option of a warning shot should also be restored, because currently there is no possibility for a warning shot under the legal framework.”
Katelynas said a warning shot could serve as an intermediate measure between other forms of force and using a firearm as a potentially lethal weapon. It could deter a suspected offender from continuing their actions and potentially prevent the need to use a firearm, he said.
“Using a firearm should be a last resort, when all other measures have failed,” Katelynas said.
The debate over firearm use by officers intensified after reports emerged about a July incident at the Kapčiamiestis border guard post, where about 20 foreigners allegedly attacked officers during a detention. The officers were forced to retreat, and the migrants, including some who were handcuffed, fled to Belarus.
