Police dogs began regular patrols in Beijing's crowded subway
stations on New Year's Day, sniffing for incendiary substances
carried by passengers.
"The police dogs have been trained to be comfortable with the
crowded environments and slippery surfaces of subway stations,"
said Wang Ning, a deputy head of the detection detachment of the
Beijing Traffic Police Division of the Beijing Public Security
Administration.
He said eight dogs are on patrol at five downtown subway
stations, including those that serve the central landmark,
Tian'anmen Square.
"More dogs will join the patrols later. We only use small
species, such as Labrador retrievers and spaniels, for their
communications and people skills," said Wang.
The administration has stepped up attempts to detect any
incendiary devices or explosives that might be carried in public
places.
Firecrackers and oil-based paints are the flammable products
most often seized by the police on public transport. Fireworks are
considered a must by many Chinese for festival celebrations,
especially for the coming Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, which
will fall on Feb. 6.
The security patrol ahead of the festival will be good practice
for the police dogs ahead of the Beijing Olympic Games later this
year, said Wang.
The subway network in Beijing is one of the world's busiest; it
set a new record daily ridership of 2.89 million passengers on Nov.
16, 2007.
The capital city has been using sniffer dogs to detect drugs in
public places, such as the airport, subway and railway stations and
shopping malls since June 2007. But local residents are not
familiar with regular dog patrols in public places.
Wang advised people to keep their distance from the dogs and not
try to pet or feed them.
(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2008)