I should post this in the “Only happens in Thailand” category as you can’t make this stuff up!.

The Associated Press are reporting that bad Thai police are being made to wear cute Hello Kitty masks and armbands in order to shame them when they have done wrong.

© Yasushi Ukigaya/Kyodo News, via Associated Press

No matter how many ribbons for valor a Thai officer may wear, if he parks in the wrong place, or shows up late for work, or is seen dropping a bit of litter on the sidewalk, he can be ordered to wear the insignia.

One should ask, what about those who take cash bribes on a daily basis, or who disobey the law themselves? Will we be seeing more Hello Kitty masks on the boys in lycra than ever before?

“After this policy came out, the police are scared,” the officer,who declined to give his name while discussing this sensitive topic, said. “It will be very embarrassing to walk around with Hello Kitty on your arm.” It is a step down from the Crime Suppression Division’s official motto: “When you have no one to turn to, come to us.”