Initial success has been achieved in the rectification move targeted at standardizing the province's security service markets, said the source.

A local survey showed that the coastal province has 1,953 registered internal security service units which were approved by local public security organs, in contrast to 538 illegal ones which employed 4,199 unqualified staff.

To improve and standardize the local security service within the province, the Fujian Security Association has set up a professional training center for security guards, which has by nowrun eight short-term training classes involving 550 security staff.

Some major cities in the province such as Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and Longyan still use security guards to supervise and rectify the activities of various internal security service units.

According to the local source, the provincial public security bureau and five other relevant provincial departments set up a regulation requiring the establishment of internal security service units to be submitted to public security bureaus at or above city and prefecture level for examination and approval.

There are also special regulations concerning security services in public places of entertainment, the source added.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2003)