An anti-rape squad of female detectives selected for their seductive looks, skill in martial arts and acting ability has been set up by police in China.
The seven-woman team -- a first for the normally stodgy Chinese police -- has been organized in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, in response to growing public concern about a spate of unsolved sex crimes. Established earlier this month, it has drawn comparisons with the fictional TV crime fighters Charlie's Angels.
The squad's members, whose average age is 26, are all graduates of police academies.
According to the local media, they were chosen primarily for their beauty, but also because they are experts in kung fu.
Part of their job will be to act as the bait -- and the trap -- for sexual assailants who have plagued the Zhongyuan suburban district.
"The team members will lure suspects to commit crimes against them," their coach, Zhu Ji, said.
When they patrol the city's streets, the women will dress in short skirts, knee-high boots and revealing necklines.
For operations in rural areas, they will be dressed in more practical clothes so that they can pass off as country women. At all times, they will work in a team and carry hidden pistols.
The foundation of the team represents a significant change from traditional policing methods. Rape is believed to be very under-reported and under-investigated in China.
But after the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl last month -- the latest of about 30 violent sex crimes over the past two years -- public opinion in Zhengzhou has forced officers to consider a new approach.
"We are under a lot of pressure from the media to solve these crimes, but traditional methods haven't worked so we have decided to try something different," said Li Fei, of the Zhongyuan public security bureau.
The women are undergoing two months of training covering psychology, physical exercise, pistol use and acting.
"Acting is very important. In the past, we have tried to use regular policewomen to lure rapists, but they were unconvincing," Li said.
An American scientist convicted of lying to US authorities about payments from China while he was at Harvard University has rebuilt his research lab in Shenzhen, China, to pursue technology the Chinese government has identified as a national priority: embedding electronics into the human brain. Charles Lieber, 67, is among the world’s leading researchers in brain-computer interfaces. The technology has shown promise in treating conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and restoring movement in paralyzed people. It also has potential military applications: Scientists at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army have investigated brain interfaces as a way to engineer super soldiers by boosting
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
From post offices and parks to stations and even the summit of Mount Fuji, Japan’s vending machines are ubiquitous, but with the rapid pace of inflation cooling demand for their drinks, operators are being forced to rethink the business. Last month beverage giant DyDo Group Holdings announced it would remove about 20,000 vending machines — about 7 percent of their stock nationwide — by January next year, to “reconstruct a profitable network.” Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage, based in Nagoya, also said last month it would sell its 40,000-machine operation to Osaka-based Lifedrink Co. “The strength of the vending machine
A highway bomb attack in a restive region of southwestern Colombia on Saturday killed 14 people and injured at least 38, the latest spate of violence ahead of next month’s presidential election. Authorities blamed the attack in the Cauca department — a conflict-ridden, coca-growing region — on dissidents of the now-disbanded FARC guerrilla army, who have been sowing violence across the country. “Those who carried out this attack ... are terrorists, fascists and drug traffickers,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on social media. “I want our very best soldiers to confront them,” he added. The leftist leader blamed the bombing
RSS