Yay! Armed Police in the 'hood!

[roddy]

Coming past the Jiaodaokou junction just now and there's a great big 特警 4x4 parked up on the pavement at one corner, with two armed police standing by it. Next to them, a sign describing this as an 爱民实践示范岗。 They look like this.

Points I'd like to make, and am too cowardly to do so to their shade-wearing faces:

1) Get your damned 4x4 off the pavement! You barely get a clear stretch of pavement round here as it is, what with shops appropriating the sidewalk, bikes and cars parked any which where and the usual random assortment of hawkers. Now we've got SWAT teams in the way. The 城管 barely dare step outside as it is . . .

2) You can 爱民 all you like, you're going to need to take off the helmets and shades and put the guns down if you want them to love you back. Oh, and bump 群众 up to the top of that list, that might help.

3) Why didn't you shoot that electric bicyclist that almost knocked me over?

All done

[Outofin]

Does it have anything to do with National Day or is it becoming a norm?

They look cool, will soon become tourist attractions.

[jbradfor]

Meh. You were too chicken as well to take a picture of the ones you saw. What, were you afraid of being shot?

And how can they catch criminals while carrying a blue sign?

[gougou]

I see these (and various other kinds of scary looking police) at the Dongzhimen intersection regularly. And now that I think of it, it did indeed feel like love was in the air! :wub:

[roddy]

You see the PAFP at Dongzhimen quite often, which I've assumed is due to the proximity of some government building or embassy - I guess they might have major-intersection guarding duties though. They're generally in nice uniforms and only carry sidearms. Used to see them quite often patrolling around Jishuitan, due (I always assumed) to the important folk said to live around Xihai.

It gets daft sometimes. If you're around Tiananmen it can be like a scene from My First Picture Book of Chinese Uniforms, everything from sixteen-year old security guards up.

[gougou]

A whole lotta lovin' in Beijing, apparently. Maybe the blue sign would be an idea for the guy asking how to tell a Chinese girl you like her? Not sure I'd take the assault rifle on the first date though.

[roddy]

Might be handy if you went to the shooting range.

They weren't there this morning. If they're there again as I walk home I'm going to give them a nasty look. That'll learn 'em.

[rob07]

I work in a tall building in the Sydney CBD and I'll often have army helicopters whizzing past my window when a foreign head of state is in town.

And now that I think of it, it did indeed feel like love was in the air!

I remember when APEC was in Sydney a couple of years ago, a secretary in a city law firm noticed a sniper perched on top of the neighbouring building posted there to shoot any terrorists that might turn up. So she wrote down her mobile number and held it up against the window. The sniper put down his gun, picked up his sniper goggles, wrote down her number, and they ended up dating.

[skylee]

That is a very romantic story. But it can't be true, right?

[rob07]

I can't remember where I heard this story now, but I remember believing it at the time. The girl worked for Baker ＆McKenzie I think.

There's no doubt that there were snipers posted on the CBD buildings around the Bakers office at that time. It must be pretty boring being stuck on top of a building all day　with nothing to do, so I can certainly see the sniper being up for a bit of flirting with any girls who noticed him. And snipers tend to be young fit guys with guns and uniforms, so I can see the secretary being interested as well. The way I heard the story, there were a lot of waves etc exchanged before she gave him her phone number.

[gougou]

Funny that just at the corner where we continously see them, there was an explosion yesterday... Explosion Rocks Dongzhimen

[Brian US]

I was walking past the Wudaokou subway station a while back and saw the police loading bicycles into the back of trucks. Technically it was a group of people wearing those red arm bands loading them while a policewoman video taped. As you all know, there are many bikes parked near the subway. It looked as if they were only taking certain bikes (both nice and crappy), so why the random confiscation? Are bikes not suppose to be parked on certain streets or during a certain time?

Edit: Read the article gougou posted. Think it was an American playing with something he shouldn't have or are we Yanks being targeted?!? :o