Victoria Police have been gifted with new powers to deal with people in dangerous situations.
From now, people who deliberately or recklessly risk the lives of the public with a car can be taken out in a 'Shoot to Kill' police policy.
According to The Age, the directive has already been introduced into the police handbook and states police must take 'decisive action' to save lives.
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That can come in the form of introducing stationary blockades, using their police vehicle to ram the offending vehicle or create a blockade, using stop sticks, commandeering heavy commercial vehicles or using 'lethal force'.
"If the circumstances warrant the action, members may use lethal force against the driver of a hostile vehicle in order to stop an attack," the order states.
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton explained to The Age that while using lethal force might seem like a step too far, it will give the public peace of mind.
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"It is saying that they will be supported if they need to take action and states clearly that they must take action," he said.
"We will not wait for offenders to plough into people. The instructions are that you must do something, that you must stop these attacks and that the response must be proportionate and justified."
The order comes just before an inquest into the Bourke Street Mall incident in 2017 that left six people dead after being run over by a car. It's also a response to two other incidents, Flinders Street in December 2017 and Bourke Street in November 2018.
Police Association Secretary Wayne Gatt said: "We need to give our members the scope to protect the community. We need to know that when police act without hesitation the Victoria Police and state government will stand behind them and support their actions."
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Police are now advised not to wait for authorisation before launching their offensive. Previously, they would have to cordon off the area and wait for specialists to come in to potentially shoot the offender.
However the offender has to fit into three categories.
Officers can only react if the person or persons are terrorists who are mounting single or multi-vehicle attacks in crowded areas, fleeing criminals who recklessly put lives at risk and mentally-ill offenders.
Police will now be trained in the various vehicle tactics mentioned in the manual, including how to appropriately ram another vehicle. According to The Age, the only team that was previously authorised to do that was the Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Team.
Featured Image Credit: Victoria Police/Facebook