Four helicopters will be added to the fleet of Beijing's patrol crew in March, a local traffic official said Thursday.

"They will hover around the city to perform missions including air patrols, pursuit of criminal suspects and fire and traffic monitoring," said Zheng Xiaofei, vice director of the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.

"They are expected to help safeguard the city's security and enhance the police force's ability to address emergencies," he added.

Zheng declined to say whether the copters would perform daily patrols.

Helicopter air patrols are not new to the city. During the Olympics last year, copters performed air patrols above the venues.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2009)