When The British Army’s ‘Shoot To Kill’ Policy Started…..

By James Kinchin-White

It was on May 26, 1971, in the British House of Commons, when the Minister of State for Defence, Lord Balneil rose to his feet to answer the Labour spokesman on Northern Ireland, Kevin McNamara. His precise words were: ‘….warning shots are not resorted to by the Army. When the Army opens fire it is at a target and is designed to kill’.

Here, from the document archive assembled by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, is the record of the exchange. The pertinent section is in the second paragraph from the end: