Chinese police in Sichuan province were hosting a press conference about their successful anti-gun campaign when a confiscated weapon accidentally discharged, sending a reporter to the hospital with chest and leg wounds. Two others in the room suffered lighter injuries.

The homemade pistol was packed with pebbles, turning it into a low-rent, shotgun-style gun for hunting birds. Another reporter on the scene described the incident:

One officer picked up a confiscated pistol and demonstrated it to the journalists. [Then] white smoke was rising in the room and crushed stone-like things were scattered all around.

Maybe these guys should stick to their Segways!

Related Stories:
· Gun Briefing Backfires [BBC]
· China Clearly Prepared to Handle the Olympics [Jaunted]
· China Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Jianling River Bridge in Nanchong: People's Daily Online]]]> pbb 2008-07-18T13:00:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/3/101045/1075

All your doubts about Beijing's readiness for the Olympic Games? These Segway-ridin' police will crush them!

Security forces recently held an "anti-terrorist drill" in Jinan, in Shandong province south of Beijing, to practice riding these truly terrifying electric scooters. The demo also gave cops an opportunity to show off their martial arts skills, flamethrower handling and mob dispersing techniques. Watch out, nightclub owners!

Related Stories:
· Anti-Terrorist Drill in Shandong [China Daily, via]
· Philadelphia Airport Cops Get Segways [Jaunted]
· Beijing Olympics coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Knife Tricks]]]> pbb 2008-07-03T10:15:09-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/12/10/04441/863

We're always interested in how to bribe police officers in foreign countries. Not that we're planning anything sinister; it's just in case we mess up. So we're happy to tell you about the latest scheme in Italy: In the Campagnia area, police officers have been pulling cheese delivery vans over, inventing some rule drivers have violated and demanding either a hefty fine or some mozzarella.

We think there are easier ways to get your cheese in Italy. Apart from the obvious plan of visiting the supermarket, there are also tons of small mozzarella factories to visit. Any number of tour planners can hook you up with a lesson in making mozzarella, and the Delicious Italy website gives the independent traveler tips on where the best cheese can be made, bought and eaten.

But if you want to go the adventure travel way, just try dressing up as an Italian cop and pulling over a cheese delivery van. Give us your money or your mozzarella!

Related Stories:
· Italian Police Busted for Mozzarella Bribes [Ananova]
· Delicious Italy [Official Site]
· Cheese Travel Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: blisseau]]]> amandak 2007-12-10T09:30:03-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/8/27/82423/4730

Watch what you check on a flight out of Mexico City: someone might pull a tricky switch on you. A top Mexican police dog--star of many a good drug bust--named Rex IV was mysteriously kidnapped this week on a flight from Mexico City to Mazatlan.

When handlers unloaded the dog cargo at the Mazatlan airport of Sinaloa, Belgian Malinois Rex IV had disappeared and been replaced by a small black puppy. Quite why the thieves bothered leaving the puppy in Rex IV's place isn't clear, but perhaps they just wanted to ease their consciences. Maybe on your next flight your YSL suitcase will be replaced with a K-Mart shopping bag, so keep an eye out.

Related Stories:
· Thieves Switch Mexican Police Dog [Reuters]
· Travel Stories in Mexico [Jaunted]

[Photo: SoozieQ]]]> amandak 2007-08-28T09:10:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/30/74155/0872
Philadelphia International Airport just became the latest airport to utilize Segway Personal Transporters, joining places like Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam (where HotelChatter editor Juliana Shallcross witnessed them on her field trip), and O'Hare in Chicago. PHL has purchased four Segways (at $5,000 a pop) for police to use to patrol and/or procure donuts more effectively. But there's only room for one on a Segway PT, so you won't be able to hitch a ride anytime soon.

Americans may never look as adorable on scooters as the Dutch, but you can witness a bit of the action at PHL here.

Related Stories:
· Airport Taking Security To A New Height [CBS 3]]]> djk 2007-01-30T11:15:03-05:00 39.873990 -75.245218 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/25/101832/618
Come on, now. Do they even have crime in Canada? Ever since we realized that the Canadian government gives bands money to film music videos and go on tour, we've refused to believe there is a single bad thing about that country. Yes, we have pissed off at least a couple of Canadians who swear it's not a total utopia up north.

If you believe this farce about "crime" in "Canada," you can try living the dream at the Vancouver Police Museum. For $7, the museum will teach you about some of Canada's most famous "criminals," and the "police" who stick it to them. You can sit in a police car, study firearms through the ages, and view a collection of all sorts of bizarre confiscated weapons as well as a morgue exhibit. There's The museum also offers a summertime "Sins of the City" walking tour that will expose you to the city's "edgier" side, including the evolution Vancouver's drug and sex industries. Unfortunately, no tribute to the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen exists.

Discover Vancouver says it's the only police museum in Canada, which makes sense given our suspicions.

[Photo: Precious Roy]

Related Stories:
· Vancouver Police Museum [Official Site]]]> djk 2007-01-25T12:00:01-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/1/19/115045/342
Oh, how we love Vienna. And oh, how pissed we are that we didn't see any of these for ourselves when we were there. They're probably not in the center city, but in the outer districts.

There are some life-sized photo cut outs of cops set up around town and in the 'burbs, meant to scare hooligans enough that they'll think twice before doing anything illegal. Some are used to spook speeding motorists. Does this mean that someone, somewhere, actually has enough faith in people to trust his or her fellow Austrians to obey a cardboard cop? How sweet.

[Photo: ioerror]

Related Stories:
· Vienna by night [Jacob Appelbaum via Metroblogging Vienna]
· Pic Pick: Straight to the Point in Vienna [Jaunted]]]> djk 2007-01-19T11:50:45-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/