Beijing is recruiting college students to supplement the police forces in an effort to ensure the security of the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing 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, said Qiang Wei, head of the Beijing Olympic Security Coordination Group and deputy secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

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)