A program aimed at improving the language skills of Beijing police in time for the Olympics has given officers unexpected insights that chime with a key theme of the ongoing session of the national legislature.

"In the past, my only emphasis was on how to maintain public order, but now I realize that a good cop should feel the pulse of the people to build a harmonious society," said Xu Jie, who completed a master's degree in international liaison and communication at the University of Westminster last September.

"During my study in London, I visited many police stations and participated in a number of professional workshops. I exchanged experiences with local police on areas such as community policing, traffic management and anti-terrorism," he said. "I learnt a lot from them. The most important was the way of thinking."

The 39-year-old deputy head of Chaoyang District's Exit/Entry Administration said it was hard to complete the one-year course: "I got less than six hours of sleep daily."

Nine of Xu Jie's colleagues also attended it, the first batch to receive language training in foreign countries as the capital prepares for the 2008 Games.

Xu Lijing, in charge of the training program, explained why language skills are so important: "The world community has two major concerns about the Beijing Games. One is security, and the other is the language barrier."

"We have selected 133 police officers to receive language training in countries such as the UK, Germany, Australia and Canada," said Xu Lijing. This year, 124 will go abroad for training.

"Meanwhile, we provide on-the-job language training for police, especially those patrolling the streets and neighborhood police staff providing services at grassroots level," he added.

(China Daily March 10, 2005)