Germany may soon authorize shipping companies to hire private armed guards to defend vessels from Somali pirates…[O]ne third of German ships are…sailing in the western Indian Ocean with guards on board, but the practice is only semi-legal…Berlin officials said…that there was a shift in opinion in favor of allowing armed guards to defend ships…[T]he government's coordinator of maritime industry policy, confirmed that officials favored changes to the law that would allow guards to use lethal force, but…Germany should wait for an International Maritime Organisation…vote…Otto is a member of the Free Democrats (FDP), who earlier raised objections to using guards on human rights grounds…They said the guards would be in a sense mercenaries. Police trade unions are also hostile to what they consider a "privatizing" of lethal force. "It's a function of the state alone," said…the Police Union.…