Expats in red armbands turn heads in southwest China

Eight foreigners have formed a volunteer community patrol in their neighbourhood in southwest China, a local newspaper reports.

The unpaid work of community patrolling is usually carried out by senior citizens who can be seen in any the mainland city or town brandishing their red armbands while keeping an eye out for illegal behaviour in their communities.

Unlike the typical “aunties in armbands”, the eight relatively young foreign volunteers have already made their mark in their neighbourhood of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

Hailing from as far away as the US, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ghana, the volunteers patrol the Tong Zi Lin community, one of the largest expat residential areas in the city, and have made headlines in local newspapers, the Chengdu Commercial Daily reported.