Victorian police have been granted the power to shoot to kill drivers who use their vehicles as deadly weapons.

The new ‘hostile vehicle’ policy gives officers the options of ramming vehicles, creating car blockades and taking over heavy vehicles such as garbage trucks, in order to stop rogue drivers.

However, shooting dead the driver is the last resort.

Former Labor senator Graham Richardson tells Ben Fordham the new policy is necessary.

“If you use a car as a weapon you can kill a hell of a lot of people.

“You’ve only got one thing that will go faster than a car and that’s a bullet.”

Sky News host Paul Murray says the rule should be used as a first response.

“I hope that the laws are clear enough that, say, if you see a car coming at you at 60km an hour the first option is to shoot, not a lawyer who’s somehow going to pin the police officer for frankly being too trigger happy.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

Image: Getty/Steve Skinner Photography