South Africa police must not resort to a policy of shoot-to-kill just to relieve the pressure to protect football World Cup tourists from criminals, Amnesty International said on Saturday.

"The priority given to protecting visitors may lead the police to misuse lethal force against criminal suspects and in a manner contrary to international human rights standards," the rights group said in a statement.

With around 50 murders a day, South Africa is one of the world's most dangerous countries and crime has long been the prime deterrent for tourists, but more than 300,000 foreigners are expected during the month-long tournament.

The current law allows police to use lethal force only if their lives or the lives of innocent bystanders are in danger. Nor are they allowed to shoot at fleeing suspects, even at the scene of a serious crime.

But a recent study showed that fatal police shootings in South Africa hit a 12-year high last year, with 556 people killed.

According to Amnesty, there has been a 47 percent rise in fatal shootings by the police in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province over the past two years, and senior officials have been increasingly hawkish over the use of lethal force.

Days after police shot dead a three-year-old last year, the deputy police minister caused an outcry by urging officers to "shoot the bastards" while national commissioner Bheki Cele has voiced support for "shoot-to-kill" powers.

Amnesty also voiced fears that the focus on protecting tourists would lead police to neglect the safety of residents in townships where the bulk of crime is committed.

"The enormous resources which have had to be deployed for the World Cup... will have consequences for the safety and security of South Africans, particularly those living in poorer neighbourhoods where effective policing and crime prevention is already a serious challenge," it said.