Reading that, I do recall an armored car parked at a bank, with guards holding riot shotguns. I do not read Chinese, so I do not know exactly who they were, but the vibe they gave off was "high grade private security" not "cop."
I also recall being a bit surprised that they needed three guys holding shot riot shotguns to guard an armored car.
Chinese cops are great at intimidating individual civilians. They're not good for much else. This is why everyone has private security.