The Beijing police authority opened a bilingual call line and website on Sunday to provide lost property information to the large number of foreign tourists expected during the Olympics.

People who lost items or picked up other people's belongings could call 62041111 or log on to www.bjgaj.gov.cn/swzl, where they could get information in Chinese and English, said He Angang, of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

The police have set up 1,020 service centers for lost property in police stations, villages, companies, schools and government departments across the city, said Wang Xiaobing, another bureau official.

"The National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, will have five service centers during the Olympics," he said.

All Olympic venues, including the stadiums, registered hotels and hospitals, would have service centers for lost property, which would be sent to nearby police stations within 12 hours and the information uploaded to the Internet, he said.

The police would call back applicants in one to three months for feedback, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2008)