Anti-terrorism operations in Beijing are ramping up with heavily armed police patrols manning the city’s hotspots accompanied by helicopter patrols in the sky.
Amendments to the Ministry of Public Security instructions now allow armed police officers from SWAT units into the capital to shoot without identification or warning as long as they are fighting against terrorists. Additionally, the amount of ammunition police are allowed to carry has doubled. According to Beijing Evening News, police were rarely armed in Chinese cities until now.
Xinhua reported five police helicopters patrolling the skies over train stations, shopping centres and scenic spots twice a day.
Head of the Beijing police team, Xia Hongwei, said the area around Beijing’s central business district including Guomao subway station and the CCTV headquarters are the most heavily guarded areas in the capital. He added that the capital is a tempting target for terrorists.
"We pay special attention to areas with the biggest crowds," he said.
During Monday evening rush hour, there were two armed police officers from SWAT units guarding Guomao station while seven police cars were parked outside the various exits of the station.
A poll conducted by Global Times suggests 65 per cent of the 1,300 respondents supported armed patrolling of the capital while more than 85 per cent were confident the government could protect them from terroroism. The poll also showed that the police presence did not affect their daily commute despite the compulsory full body search at nine of Beijing's metro stations.
The director of the Center of Counter-Terrorism at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said these recent measures demonstrate China’s greater efforts in combating terrorism.
These security measures are in line with the year-long anti-terrorism campaign that was launched to decimate future terrorist attacks across the country.
The latest attack hit Urumqi last week, killing 43.
[Image: Armed police in Shanghai during the lead up to last week's Asian regional summit. Via Shanghai Daily]
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