You might think yearly physicals for British police sound hard.

The armed police in Tibet probably wouldn't see it that way.

A set of pictures has emerged from a Chinese photo agency which appear to show armed police in Tibet training for duty with massive 250kg wooden logs and fire hoses.

The dramatic pictures are an insight into the harsh training regimes inside what appears to be a branch of the Chinese police force in Lhasa.

Chinese-dominated police forces in Tibet have been accused of brutal repression against local protesters, as the regional territorial dispute has intensified again in recent weeks.

According to the BBC one protester was recently bundled into a police van while burning alive after a self-immolation bid. According to reports the man shouted 'Free Tibet' as he was still on fire, and later died.