The killing of Jean Charles de Menezes: risk, the 'innocent', and looking guilty (original) (raw)

a Brazilian electrician working in London, by the Metropolitan Police Service, was the first and only use of the Kratos policy of 'shoot to kill to protect'. Despite doing nothing out of the ordinary, de Menezes was mistaken for a suicide bomber about to explode a bomb. Subsequent investigations into how this error was made have focused on the face and the actions of de Menezes. Implicit in these analyses is the concept of 'risk', the potential of future harm, and thus an understanding that extrajudicial killing is required to reduce risk, and that this will sometimes be of the 'wrong man'. However, this killing of the 'wrong man' does not put everyone at equal risk of being shot by the police. The post-hoc explanation reassures the public that as long as we do not look or act guilty, then we will not be shot, while also reassuring us that potential suicide bombers will be. As with other recent technologies of social control (ASBOs, control orders etc.) aimed at particular sections of the population, the majority know that the policy is not aimed at them and will not affect them. Most of us will not be mistaken as looking guilty.