Armed traffic police

A Chinese city has taken the unusual step of arming traffic police on night shifts with assault weapons.

Police wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying submachine-guns would enforce violations including speeding, drink-driving and driving without a licence in Chongqing, the Beijing News said, citing a local newspaper.

It did not say why just the southwestern city was taking such measures when violent crime, once virtually unheard of, has soared in cities across the country.