Helicopters will patrol the skies of Beijing to boost security
measures for the Games with the citie's first 'copter patrol'
taking off next June, a security affair official said
yesterday.
"The helicopters will make aerial patrol in key populous
venues", Liu Shaowu, chief with organizing committee of the 2008
Olympic Games (BOCOG) security department in an interview of the
Games official website said,
"Besides, Beijing will deploy police in slack suit, scattering
around the Olympic venues, financial departments and downtown
areas, other than armed ones, and more public security staff and
volunteers with professional skills selected from the constabulary
universities to ensure Games safety.
"We aim at not only ensuring the Olympic Games' security through
tightened security measures, but constructing a Games-period
peaceful atmosphere, so that people are not likely to see the armed
police," Liu said.
When asked the top concern of Games' "entrance's security
check", Liu explained it as an 'international convention'. "If most
of the tickets-holders carry a handbag, that would make entrance
ticket-examining run in good order and basically not stagnate the
process to enter.
He also reminds of audiences should arrive as early as possible
ahead of a competition. Olympic Games, as a high-profile
international tournament, will embrace an unexpected flowing of
spectators by then.
Beijing will host more than 20 sports events in the second half
of 2007 to test Games' facilities, Games-services, likely state of
emergency, with mock security exercises taking place and police
officers being stationed at over 100 Olympic venues in preparation
for the Games.
Behind the scenes, more sophisticated security preparations are
under way, involving the training of professional security staff
and the implementation of high-tech security apparatus and
integrated networking.
(China Daily March 6, 2007)