Traffic cops

[lostinasia]

Maybe have a look in this thread:

Why do the police "direct traffic" in the mornings?

In Kaohsiung at least, all they seem to be doing is visually gesturing “yes, the light is now green” - and sometimes they use a whistle. From what I can tell, their presence adds no material value to the flow of traffic, so why are they there? Punishment, or hazing of new cops?