Some 2,000 recruits are expected to reinforce Beijing's police forces this year in an effort to safeguard the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, an official has revealed.

"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, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) on the sideline of the legislature's ongoing annual session.

A special team in charge of security for the grand sports event has started operation with 68 Chinese experts offering consultant services, said Qiang, also head of the Beijing Olympic Security Coordination Group and deputy secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

The official, who had attended a security conference in Athens for the 2004 Olympics there, 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 March 10, 2006)