Vietnam to Ban Short, Portly Traffic Cops

Hanoi is banning short, fat traffic cops in an effort to improve its image

Bad news for short, fat Vietnamese traffic cops–they’re soon to be moved indoors and away from the public eye in favor of their skinnier, taller counterparts in the capital city of Hanoi, according to ABS-CBN News. The move is an attempt to better the traffic police’s image since they were voted the “most corrupt” institution in the country in a World Bank-funded survey.

The official weight and height restrictions are not known to the public, but officials said that they’re currently building a list of officers that don’t fit the bill. Policeman Nguyen Trong Thai told AFP that he thinks the ban is a good move, and that, “It is necessary for officers to undergo regular physical training.”

This isn’t the first time that Vietnamese traffic cops have had restrictions placed on them–in 2011, they were instructed to not wear sunglasses or to wait behind trees to surprise motorists (that last one actually seems pretty reasonable). They’ve also recently deployed female officers to make themselves seem friendlier.

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