Many people are shot dead by police forces who do not...

Many people are shot dead by police forces who do not follow United Nations standards on using lethal force only where necessary and in self-defence, Amnesty International said. Among other countries, the human rights group singled out Jamaica, where it said police have shot dead 140 people a year on average over the last 10 years, and Brazil where killings by police rose sharply in 2003. "International standards do exist to control the use of guns and other methods of force by police and law enforcement officials - but in too many countries around the world these standards are not being followed," Amnesty said. In a report, the London-based rights group called on countries to train police fully and to incorporate UN standards into local law. It said countries should take account of how closely UN standards were followed before exporting firearms to foreign police forces. "In Jamaica, which has the highest rate of police shootings per capita in the world, evidence repeatedly contradicts police claims that they were fired upon first and indicates instead a disturbing pattern of extrajudicial executions," Amnesty said.