Capital police intensify inbound vehicle inspection
Beijing police said on Saturday that they have tightened the capital's security as part of an anti-terrorism effort that has seen an increase in police forces and stricter checks on parcels, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) raised the security level for the capital on November 15, two days after the Paris attacks. More police have been mobilized, and stricter checks on courier services, large events and public transportation have been imposed.
The PSB mobilized both the armed police and regular policemen, asking "traffic police to stop cars, patrolmen and patrolwomen to inspect and record all activity, armed police to make a show of force, and auxiliary police to cooperate," the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Sunday. Police forces are collaborating to carry out 24-hour checks on people, cars and objects at every entrance to the municipality of Beijing.
Since November, Beijing has investigated more than 1 million cars and over 1.6 million people, and has arrested more than 100 suspects on a variety of charges, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.
Wang Xiaohong, head of the PSB, said in April that the security of subway transportation is the utmost priority for anti-terrorism efforts, the Beijing Times reported.
Ni Lexiong, an anti-terrorism expert, told the Global Times on Sunday that preventing terrorism is not only the police's job, but also a job for society as a whole.
"Companies and organizations currently lack anti-terror awareness. If they are attacked by terrorists, the results would be unthinkable," he explained.
Ni noted that in Beijing, places with a higher possibility of being attacked by terrorists include important transportation hubs, schools, hotels and meeting venues. Extra attention should also be paid to Chinese festivals, especially Chinese New Year, he advised.
The Beijing police also launched anti-terror drills in May and October 2014, Xinhua reported.
"Despite police efforts, schools, hotels, companies and organizations should devote more personnel and money to holding anti-terror drills and should come up with their own plans to deal with emergencies," said Ni.
According to him, the capital has the ability to monitor new communication channels, including the PlayStation 4 video game console, if terrorists use them to communicate.
Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that China is facing more terrorist threats and that the government should take more measures, including cyber anti-terrorism actions, to prevent attacks and to protect people's lives and property.
During the emergency security conference held on November 15, Police Chief Guo Shengkun stressed the necessity of enhancing awareness and boosting preventative anti-terrorism measures, Xinhua reported.
In March 2014, Beijing has adopted new regulations which stipulate that citizens who report tips related to terrorism and violence will be rewarded, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
