Thousands of Beijing police who will drive patrol cars during the 2008 Olympic Games are queuing up for a special driver training program. The first batch of 30 policemen finished their two-day training on Friday on a closed course hidden in a mountainous area in the northwest suburbs of Beijing.

The training, which will run to the end of 2007, is part of the city's comprehensive Olympic security project, which started in April. About 5,000 Beijing police will be selected to receive the driver training, and those who pass the examinations will be eligible to drive police cars and service vehicles for the Games, according to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Zheng Weiping deputy president of the Beijing People's Police College, where the police are being trained said the program would consist of about 100 sessions, each lasting two or three days. The training is focused on how to drive safely under various difficult road conditions and how to deal with emergencies such as tire punctures, Zheng said.

"The driving skills taught here are much harder than the requirements for acquiring a driver's licence," Zheng said. "For instance, a car, normally a Santana, is required to make a U-turn in a small area that is only 6 meters wide and 7 meters long, and the turn must be finished in a very short period of time."

Liu Shi, a professor with the college who is in charge of the training, said the final examination comprises six sections, and it is estimated that one of every four students will fail the examination on the first try.

"Actually, most of the officers who will take the training usually have driven cars for more than 10 years," Liu said, "and the drill can hone their driving skills so that they ensure safety in dealing with various emergencies during the Olympic Games." 

(China Daily July 22, 2006)