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Robocops have been deployed in a busy city centre in a futuristic bid to control huge numbers of holiday crowds.

Police robots are being used for the first time by the authorities in China.

The bizarre looking bobbies have been used to control crowds during the recent public holidays.

But the made-in-China cops are nothing like the metallic bipedal humanoid android seen in the sci-fi film "RoboCop" and instead look like glorified vacuum cleaners.

However, the bots deployed this past week in the Chinese capital of Beijing are not to be underestimated, as they come with state-of-the-art facial recognition software that can sense danger - as well as an extendable electroshock arm.

(Image: AsiaWire)

(Image: AsiaWire)

Images taken by tourists queuing outside the National Museum, which is just next to the famous Tiananmen Square, shows two of the bots bearing a "Police" insignia rolling around between the lines.

But the visitors cannot get over its terrifying dystopian male voice, which asks them to "please queue in an orderly fashion and cooperate with security inspections."

"Please produce your identification documents and do not push or shove," it adds during the presumably automated broadcast.

(Image: StudioCanal)

(Image: AsiaWire)

The use of the RoboCops means that the number of real police officers can be reduced, and only one official - albeit with a Rottweiler - can be seen standing nearby.

This was the first time the bots had been used by Chinese police for crowd control, and the machines were trialled through the week-long national holidays known as "Golden Week".

More friendly looking versions of the robots have already been used at major Chinese airports, where their artificial intelligence can help visitors with flight information and gate numbers.