The Southern Highlands police commander in Papua New Guinea is defending his shoot to kill policy towards criminals.
Superintendent Simon Nigi says this shows the police are serious in dealing with crime.
He issued the warning at the re-opening of a trading store in Tari last week, saying that police would shoot to kill anyone who put up roadblocks and robbed travellers along the Highlands Highway.
Superintendent Nigi says the hardline approach should deter criminals.
"That is just a warning especially when truckloads for mining project sites at Moro were held up a couple of times, so that kind of warning goes to people who think they can continue to do that, which is wrong, and if and when they're confronted by police, things like that can happen."
Superintendent Simon Nigi.
