Beijing to boost civil patrol force for 2008 Games

BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing will build a 50,000-strong
civil patrol force by 2008 to bolster security ahead of the
Olympic Games, a Chinese newspaper said on Friday.

The force would comprise 70 percent permanent residents, 20
percent retired soldiers and 10 percent from Beijing’s
non-permanent resident population, the Beijing News reported.

Already 21,000-strong, the force would grow to 30,000 by
the end of the year, the newspaper quoted police official Miao
Lin as saying.

The government had already spent 200 million yuan building
the force, the official added.

Patrol members were responsible for checking criminal
activity, accident damage control, venue security, assisting in
emergency situations and managing dangers within their
jurisdiction, said Liu Yucheng, a Beijing Public Security
Bureau official.

In addition to a fixed monthly salary of up to 700 yuan
($87), members would receive accident and injury insurance, and
bonuses for assisting in emergency situations and making
arrests that led to criminal charges, Liu added.

Recruits would be drawn from Beijing’s existing “community
security guards,” retired soldiers and sacked workers, the
newspaper said.

Beijing local councils employ thousands of community
guards, largely made up of the retired and elderly.

However, that force did not meet the necessary security
requirements for 2008 and would be relegated to watching
housing estates while the new professional force took over
their duties, Miao Lin said.

(Additional reporting by Ian Ransom)