A policewoman unzips a suitcase, goes through all the contents
and finds a metal article that looks like a bullet. The whole
process takes only one minute and 50 seconds.
Three policemen rush to a suspect car. It takes them about two
minutes to finish searching the engine, the trunk and chassis for
dangerous items.
These are not routine security checks, they are police exercises
for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
As Beijing gets ready to host the World Junior Athletics
Championships and the World Women's Softball Championships widely
regarded as rehearsals for the 2008 Games the city's police are
stepping up preparations for any security emergencies.
At Chaoyang Sports Centre, police have given the National
Athletics Competition a taste of Olympic security since the event
started on July 1. The centre is where the World Junior Athletics
Championships will take place from August 15.
At the venue's security control centre, security staff use a
bank of television monitors to keep an eye on all events and the
stands, as well as nearby roads.
According to Chinese media reports, Feng Yonglin, a leading
police official in Chaoyang District, said this is the first time
such a control centre is monitoring the surrounding area with
real-time images, adding that the video footage is available to the
city's public security control network.
"All the images can be transmitted to the municipal
public security bureau and all the district sub-bureaux," Jiang
told Beijing Youth Daily. "Previously, we could only
communicate by radio."
The external walls of the sports centre are also part of the
security system.
"When there is trespassing, the system will alert us and the
security cameras will follow the suspect until he is brought under
control," Feng said.
According to him, the range of supervision during events could
extend to as much as 10 kilometres from the venue.
In order to meet high Olympic security requirements, security
checks have, for the first time, been installed at the outside
gates of the sports centre, instead of at the stadium's
entrances.
"We have installed X-ray equipment and guard posts by every gate
of the sports centre," said a member of the security staff.
Testing ground
The World Women's Softball Championships, which will be held on
August 27, will be another test for Olympic security.
Due to be held at Fengtai Softball Field, the venue for the
Olympic softball events in 2008, the championships also require
strict Olympic-style security.
For the event, the Olympic Security Control Centre has set up
seven departments to take the charge of all aspects of the work,
such as the venues, participants' accommodation and
transportation.
"The security level of the softball championships has been
decided as level B, according to factors such as ticket sales,"
said Cao Dongxiang, vice-director of Beijing Municipal Public
Security Bureau's Public Order Management Unit. Cao added that the
facilities have been completed and all security measures are in
place.
Security for these two events requires about 650 police officers
and 1,074 other personnel, with a total budget of 6 million yuan
(US$751,000), according to media reports.
In order to ensure the highest possible standard of security at
the Games, the training of police officers covering the Olympics
started in April.
The training will take place in three stages.
Zhao Yuan, chief of the Beijing Municipal Public Security
Bureau's Education and Training Division, said that, until the end
of this year, training would focus on basic skills and physical
fitness. "Next year, officers will receive training in simulated
conditions, while in 2008, field training will take place at
Olympic venues."
Zhao added that the officers will receive training tailored to
their specific duties.
She noted that language skills are important part of the
training, pointing out that police in the capital started to
receive instruction in foreign languages in 2001.
Apart from professional security forces, student volunteers will
be involved in the security work for the first time at the two
championships this year.
"All the student volunteers come from the Capital University of
Economics and Business," said Feng. "They will be responsible for
the work such as maintaining the order at the entrances and
checking tickets."
The volunteers will be the first to step in whenever any
disturbances break out among spectators, added Feng.
Apart from these preparations, some new technologies will be
used to guarantee a high level of security at the Beijing
Olympics.
As reported by the Beijing News, a "face recognition system"
will be installed in about 500 shopping centres in Beijing before
2008 and a "wireless labels" will be used on all athletes'
luggage.
(China Daily July 14, 2006)