Beijing is recruiting college students to supplement the police
forces in an effort to ensure the security of the Olympic Games to be held here in 2008.
About 400 students, including 88 females, who will graduate from
the Beijing-based universities this summer, participated in a sport
test Monday held by the Beijing Special Police Corps.
Those who pass the physical test are eligible for further
psychological and cultural examinations, and the competent students
will be enlisted into the city's armed police forces, said Wang
Zhaoguang, an officer with the police organ which is affiliated to
the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
The recruitment campaign is set to be finished in early July,
and the selected graduates will undergo professional trainings on
driving, shooting, climbing and many other techniques to increase
their capacity in anti-terror, violence control, and dealing with
emergency situations, said Wang.
It is the first time that university students are enlisted in
the police forces in Beijing, which is aimed at reinforcing the
city's overall capacity of safeguarding the social security and
creating a safe Olympics.
Beijing plans to add 2,000 police officers to meet security
requirements for the grand sports event. Various plans have been
worked out for the purpose, focusing on the prevention of terror
activities.
Beijing suffers a serious deficiency in police backup. The
additional recruitment has got official ratification and will help
ensure security during the Olympics, Qiang Wei, head of the Beijing
Olympic Security Coordination Group and deputy secretary of the
Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party,
said.
A special team in charge of security for the sports event has
started operation with 68 Chinese experts offering consultant
services.
Qiang, who attended a security conference in Athens for the 2004
Olympics, revealed that Beijing will finish fundamental
preparations this year and launch drills in 2007 so as to establish
an excellent security system in 2008.
(Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2006)