A red banner with the striking slogan "Motorcycle robbers will be shot to death on the spot", has been hung on the side of this police wagon to deter would-be criminals, at the boundary of Zhengzhou and Xingyang cities in central China's Henan Province on Wednesday, May 30, 2007. [Photo: ChinaFotoPress]

A photo of a police wagon displaying a red banner with the slogan "Motorcycle robbers will be shot to death at the scene of a crime", has aroused heated online debate.

The photo was taken at the boundary between the cities of Zhengzhou and Xingyang in central Henan Province on Wednesday. The photo shows an armed and "alert" police officer sitting in the police van, parked alongside a busy street, with the slogan plastered on the side.

Whether or not police officers have the right to execute criminals at the scene of a crime, has became the crux of an online debate.

Henan Business Daily reported that the deputy police chief of Xingyang, Zhang Yu, has affirmed that any motorcyclist caught robbing from pedestrians can be shot by a police officer witnessing the crime.

He added that all vehicles of the city's criminal police force carry the deterrent banners. At least 28 police cars belonging to affiliated police stations have also been asked to participate in the plan.

He explained that summer is a popular season for this type of criminal activity, one which is difficult for police to stop. After all previous crack-down measures failed, police have now resorted to this extreme method. However, the effect of the deterrent banners has surprised even themselves, as no such crimes have been reported since their deployment at the end of April.

Some netizens applaud the Xingyang police, they think it is a good method for fighting motorcycle robbery, and it is a pity that police didn't initiate the method earlier.

But some people believe it is possible for police to capture the robbers alive by simply shooting them in the leg or arm, to execute them on the spot is not a particularly humane or necessary method.

Chen Bo, a lawyer working for a Henan law office, said police should not replace a legal court of law with an "on the spot" death penalty sentence. According to law, police officers should firstly open fire into the air, as a warning. Only if the warning is ineffectual should police then proceed to shoot a criminal.

But Zhang Yu insists that what they are doing does abide by the law. Furthermore, on-site police are of course permitted to decide for themselves whether or not to shoot to kill, or only wound a criminal. They used the words "shoot to death", to make the banner more brief and intimidating.

A Professor from the Henan Junior College of Public Security, Ma Xinwen said the language of the slogan used by the Xingyang police will only negatively impact the image of police officers. He says such violent language should be replaced by more civilized and standardized words.