Odd Things I Saw: Free! Playing cards with China’s Most Wanted

Would you want to play black jack or poker with images of criminals on the back of the cards?

Police in Guangzhou have devised a novel plan of capturing criminals by putting their photos on playing cards and giving them free to the public. Over 50,000 decks of cards have been given out to the public, in hope that they could provide tip offs to the police.

Each card contains an image of the criminal as well as their profile; information such as name, height, reward value, ID number for reporting tip offs. Claiming the Joker card is one of China’s most wanted criminals, with a reward value of 300,000yuan ($47,700USD)

Not surprisingly this campaign has received mixed feedback.

Some people felt uncomfortable playing cards while seeing pictures of criminals, feeling that it will ruin the mood of the game and make them feel scared.

Whilst others felt that this will allow them to help police and claim the reward.

This is not the first time that criminal playing cards were introduced. In 2005, police in Zhengzhou printed ‘criminal cards’ and gave them to the public. In 2003, the US military also developed a set of playing cards with the most wanted team members of Iraq’s former leader Saddam Hussein for their troops.

Reference: (Beijing Time) China Daily