Photo exposed online shows a dummy policeman in uniform in a police box in Putian, East China’s Fujian province, Dec 13, 2010.

A mannequin wearing a police uniform and a helmet was seen standing inside a police box in Putian city of East China’s Fujian province, according to Guangzhou Daily, quoting from a post that has stirred strong reaction on the Internet.

The picture showed the box to be empty except for the policeman dummy.

Further checks by the media showed that the mannequin was arranged to stand guard due to a shortage of police personnel. It happened about two months ago, and the mannequin has since been removed by the local police station.

Among the online reactions, some people regarded it as a creative way to deal with the staff shortage, and some criticized it as being deceptive.