Training ensures that crime does not pay

Violent incidents have helped shape China's police force, Wu Wencong and Yang Wanli report in Beijing.

Violence, murder, gruesome deaths and vicious lives: the stories of some of China's most hardened criminals may have captured headlines but their very notoriety may curtail their criminal career.

Violent crime has done more than just get media attention, according to a leading expert, who says it has played an important role in developing the skills of the security forces.