Let’s get one thing straight Rookie. I don’t care what the Lieutenant said. I don’t like having a partner and I sure as heck don’t like one as green as you. You might think you’re a legend in your own mind, but you’ll have to earn the right to police the streets with me. Listen up and you might learn a thing or two. Forty-three bad guys later and I’m still here because of two names: Smith and Wesson. Frankly, I have seen your target shooting scores and they are embarrassing. If you were to get down to one of Shanghai’s three shooting facilities to work on your aim you just might make my day – and keep yourself out of the morgue.

First place I recommend you go is the Eastern Shooting and Archery Center. This new, modern facility is the best option in the city. They have a wide variety of air guns, both rifles and pistols, from which to choose. Air guns, and the small calibre pellets they shoot, are a little weak for my tastes – they certainly won’t put down a street punk – but for a raw recruit such as yourself they are a great introduction to learning how to shoot correctly. Ammunition is RMB 6 to 10 per bullet depending on which gun you use, however the club offers hourly rentals at better value, as well group packages. Shooting coaches will walk you through the correct stance, gun safety and proper marksmanship. The venue also has an archery range, a small café, pool tables, darts, and even KTV. So you and your little greenhorn recruit friends can make a date of it, but I recommend you call ahead to make reservations as it can get busy.

Your second option is the Modern Military Sports Club. Here you will find a standard 25 metre shooting channel with moveable targets. Coaches claim to be ex-Special Forces; I looked one in his steely eyes and decided he was telling the truth. Gun options are limited with four air rifles and two air pistols with ammo costing RMB 8 per shot. No discounts, no deals. However, I was quite pleased to see they also had .357 Magnums. Swell. Now that is more my kind of gun, although at RMB 25 per round it is very expensive.

After you’ve learned some marksmanship, it’s time to put it to practical use. Weicheng Paintball Shooting Sports Center allows you to do exactly that. Head out to their field in Songjiang and suit up for a few hours of paintballing sport. Entry and equipment is cheap at RMB 30, but paintballs are RMB 1 each so you can expect to pay around RMB 250, more if you are trigger-happy. You’ll be put into a squad with others and be expected to capture the other team’s flag without getting shot. Teamwork is key so hopefully you’ll learn an important lesson, Rookie. For large groups, a RMB 5,000 VIP card will get you RMB 10,000 credit, making this a perfect team-building activity for businesses and novice cops.

So now that you’ve had some practice, I bet you feel like you’re invincible. Well kid, I hate to break it you but you have a long way to go. How about I prove it to you with a little shooting competition? You’ve only got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Eastern Shooting and Archery Center. 663 Hongqiao Lu, near Panyu Lu. Tel: 6280 0408. Web: www.es-club.com.cn

Modern Military Sports Club. 7F, 701 Huaihai Lu, near Sinan Lu. Tel: 5382 9955. Web: www.firingclub.com

Weicheng Paintball Shooting Sports Center. 338 Chenhua Lu. Tel: 5769 0500. Web: www.sh-paintball.com