Saudi women licensed to kill (or at least hurt)

Saudi women prison guards will be trained to use weapons and self-defence in a new advancement for females in the kingdom.

Around 30 policewomen will be trained by their Jordanian counterparts on how to use batons and tasers to help them during their work as prison guards.

A Saudi official told Makkah daily that this will enable them to "develop their capabilities" and "deal with emergencies".

The interior ministry is also considering firearm training, with a potential of specialists coming over from the United States.

The women will be instructed on how to guard and transfer prisoners safely, deal with confrontations and inspect prisoners and visitors, as well as self-defence skills.

They will also be taught how to deal with riots, negotiating with prisoners and preventing banned items from entering prisons.

This is in addition to gaining computer skills, learning the English language as well as public relations and planning.

There have been calls for Saudi women to work in the country's notorious religious police force - known as the mutawwa - who are responsible for enforcing Saudi Arabia's strict morality code.

Two years ago the head of the Commission for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice said there was a pressing need for women in the force.

Saudi women have won a number of small, but significant, advancements over the past year, where gender segregation laws are said to favour men.

During this month's municipality elections, women were allowed to vote for the first time and 18 women were elected.

Women could also be issued passports for their first time without the consent of a male guardian.

Saudi Arabia also recently dropped a clause that prevented women from working in "dangerous or hazardous jobs".

This effectively opened up all jobs to women in the kingdom, and a ban on women from working in lingerie shops also appears to be lifted.