The southwestern municipality of Chongqing, a city of over 30 million people, issued the order after China's public security ministry called for stepped up security around schools and kindergartens nationwide.

"The police have clear regulations in these odious cases where direct attacks occurring at or in the vicinity of schools have injured students or children," the Chongqing Evening News reported.

"If they cannot contain the violent acts, police can shoot to kill in accordance with the law."

The order comes after a series of attacks on children last week.

On Friday, a farmer armed with a hammer injured five children and a teacher at a primary school in the eastern province of Shandong before setting himself on fire.

A day earlier, a jobless man apparently angry over a series of personal and professional setbacks slashed 29 children and three adults at a kindergarten in the eastern city of Taixing, armed with a knife used for slaughtering pigs.

That attack came a day after a 33-year-old teacher placed on sick leave for mental problems injured 15 students and a teacher in a knife attack at a primary school in southern China's Guangdong province.

And on the same day, authorities in Fujian province in the southeast executed a former doctor for stabbing to death eight children and injuring five others in March in a fit of rage after he broke up with his girlfriend.

Other cities around the country have also taken their own preventative measures.

In central Beijing's Xuanwu district, for example, bars and snooker rooms within 200 metres (660 feet) of schools have been banned, the state-run Legal Evening News reported.

Campuses around the capital have also been provided with pepper spray and cut-resistant gloves. In the eastern city of Nanchang, more than 200 security guards have been dispatched to schools.

China's security czar Zhou Yongkang, one of the country's most senior leaders, stressed Monday that children's safety was what "most worried people", according to the official People's Daily newspaper.

He ordered an increase in police patrols around schools and kindergartens and also asked health and civil affairs authorities to "strengthen their management of the treatment of people with mental disorders".

The attacks underscore how China -- which has enjoyed lower violent crime rates than the West -- faces a growing public safety threat from disgruntled individuals amid rising mental illness rates and looser social controls.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News