Police chief stresses violent emergency drills

Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun on Tuesday called on police officers across the country to strengthen exercises in response to violent emergencies.

Guo, also a state councilor, made the remarks while inspecting an emergency response drill held in the port city of Qingdao in east China's Shandong province.

He urged police to improve capabilities to handle any emergency in order to maintain social stability and protect the public.

The police should be able to respond quickly to major emergencies and handle contingencies effectively under unified command, Guo said, calling for efforts to improve the decision-making capacity of police leaders.

About 1,900 SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) police officers from more than 20 SWAT teams across the country took part in the drill in response to scenarios involving individual bombers, armed serial killers and multiple terrorist attacks.