Armed police in Jiangsu

A total of 4,000 armed special force police officers and 12,000 armed auxiliary police officers in 13 cities of East China's Jiangsu Province will patrol the streets 24 hours a day from May 1, local authorities announced Monday.

The measure aims to "provide a sense of security to the public," said the provincial public security department.

The measure will ensure that armed police teams can arrive at the scene of an incident or violent attack immediately. A multimedia command center will coordinate the teams.

The Ministry of Public Security issued a circular in early April, asking local authorities to intensify police training on firearm usage for police officers and increase armed patrols, a policy believed to be triggered by the Kunming attack in March.

Shanghai started to implement the policy on Sunday.

By Global Times – Xinhua