Traffic police on skateboards will began patrolling the Indonesian capital from July 1, the Koran Tempo newspaper reported on Friday.

The city's traffic police chief, Dua Sutirto, said police had hired a professional skateboarder to teach a team of 20 young police officers. He believes that skateboards will be able to get traffic police to any congested road in Jakarta much faster than cars or motorbikes.

Jakarta is one of Asia's most congested cities. Carpooling measures, restricted access to downtown areas, and the creation of dedicated bus lanes have already proved largely ineffective in the battle against traffic jams.