Beijing police mobilize against terror

Spurred by a series of terrorist attacks in the country, Beijing police officers, including high-level officials, will stop taking vacations and will be on patrol on the streets, the municipal public security bureau said on Friday.

All the police in the capital, especially firefighters, SWAT officers and staff responsible for criminal investigations, are being asked to be on duty and in fighting trim 24 hours a day, according to a statement of the bureau.

Three hundred police officers have been dispatched to densely populated areas of the city, including schools, hospitals, open markets and subways, to identify hidden security problems and provide quicker reaction time as emergencies occur, the bureau said.

On Thursday, the bureau held a conference taking the capital's security to a higher level and rolling out a three-tier patrol plan that covers the skies, subways and streets.

The bureau is requiring its officers to go to busy sections of the city, or places where heightened awareness is especially needed, such as railway stations and shopping malls, to increase armed patrols, the bureau said.

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn