Female-only traffic police in Lima

A nightmare is coming true for many macho motorists in the Peruvian capital as the entire traffic police force will soon be female. With surveys proving the female officers in Lima to be far stricter and less bribable than males, they will be given complete control of the chaotic streets in the city.

A nightmare is coming true for many macho motorists in the Peruvian capital as the entire traffic police force will soon be female.

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Since surveys show female officers in Lima to be far stricter and - more importantly - less bribable than males, they will be given complete control of the chaotic streets in the city of some 8 million inhabitants, the municipal traffic police announced recently.

Their 500 male colleagues are to be transferred to other departments.

But General Arturo Davila, a man, will remain head of Lima's traffic police.

By South American standards, an unusually large number of female traffic cops has already been thundering through town on heavy motorcycles. And tough customers they are.

While traffic violations are often "fixable" with a small gratuity for senors, the senoras and senoritas are usually merciless and impose the fine dictated by law.