Police officers are not obliged by law to fire a warning shot but when innocent people get hurt there needs to be a thorough investigation, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said on Tuesday.

It follows several incidents in which innocent people were shot and wounded by officers.

In the most recent incident, a three-year-old boy was killed after he was shot by a police officer in Rabi Ridge.

But Mthethwa said government?s message to the police force is that they should fight fire with fire when their lives are in danger.

He said the Independent Complaints Directorate needed to be strengthened to deal with incidents in which police may have used too much force and hurt innocent bystanders.

"When innocent people get hurt in the process there has to be rigorous investigations of recklessness and other things," said Mthethwa.