Armed officers in riot gear will reportedly guard the all polling stations in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for the first time with the district council election drawing near, said the South China Morning Post on Friday.
The police force will maintain a "minimum presence" to avoid arousing fear among voters, said the report.
"On top of security guards, there are also armed police officers in riot control uniform and gear in every polling station. District officers will patrol their own area and handle any disturbance first," the newspaper said, citing a senior police source.
The district council election, scheduled for Sunday, has been overshadowed by the intensifying violence in the region as an increasing number of candidates have reportedly suffered various threats, doxxing and online bullying ahead of the polling day.
