Beijing has formed its helicopter police team for the security
of 2008 Olympic Games, and the pilots will carry out drills as soon
as the helicopters are delivered in the second half of this year, a
senior Beijing official said.
"The pilot team has been organized and we are working on an air
patrol mechanism," said Qiang Wei, deputy chief of the Beijing
Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.
"After serving the security of the Olympic Games, the
helicopters will be used to safeguard the safety of Beijing,"
Qiang, also a deputy to the National People's Congress, said on the
sidelines of the parliament's annual session.
The Olympic security system, including security facilities in
sports venues, will be completed at the end of this year, and a
number of exercises will be conducted, said Qiang.
However, the official did not give details such as the exact
number of the chopper crew.
The air police will help collect evidence, trail criminal
suspects, support ground operations in combating terrorism and
riots, transfer policemen and facilities, and direct traffic,
according to the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
The municipal government has sealed agreements to purchase three
helicopters and got one free from an Italian firm and its joint
venture in east China's Jiangxi Province.
The crew members have been selected from the air force and some
college graduates after a six-month training, sources with the
bureau told reporters last year.
About 90,000 policemen are expected to be called up for the
Games, and the budget for security work is said to be US$300
million, accounting for about one fifth of the total costs,
according to the Beijing organizing committee of the Games.
(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2007)