Under a new federal law passed yesterday in the United States senate, police officers throughout the country will now be legally obliged to give any black suspect, what is described in the new bill as, "a reasonable chance to get away" before they can open fire.

 

This unprecedented move by the Obama government is being seen as an antidote to the recent unrest in a number of states, following what is perceived in many quarters as the police execution of black suspects, some of whom were unarmed and were actually attempting to flee when they were cut down in a hail of bullets.

 

Under the new law, police officers will now have to cover their eyes with their hands, turn their back on the suspect and count slowly to ten. They must then issue the clear warning: "Ready or not here I come" before turning around and opening fire on the fleeing individual.

 

At present, the law only applies to black suspects but there is talk of extending it to cover the Hispanic and Asian communities also.

 

Critics of the bill say it will give criminals an unfair advantage and see it as an attempted sop to civil rights campaigners who expressed outrage last month when a 14-year-old black high school student was gunned down by eight officers outside a library in Birmingham, Alabama for returning his book two days late.

Not so fast officer!.