In order to ensure a “safe Olympics,” the Chinese government is drawing on troops from the infantry, navy, and air force. The troops involve four military districts and divisions that are directly under the navy, air force, and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) headquarters, including professional forces such as the air corps, engineer corps, antichemical warfare corps, and medical service squad. The government has also employed fighter planes, helicopters, warships, surface-to-air missiles, radar, antichemical equipment, and engineering protection equipment. They have also constructed a monitoring system using modern technology to monitor every spot in the city. According to the CCP, all of this has been done for the security of the Olympics and anti-terrorism. The reality, however, is that there are all kinds of conflicts in society, frequent incidents and many “factors that cause social instability.” This new system and arrangement afford a highliy efficient means to control people. Below is an excerpt of an article from Outlook Weekly under the Xinhua News Agency. [1]

The Technology of the Security System for the Olympics

The technology of the security system involves areas of communication and command, intelligence and information, weapons security inspection, and many others fields. It is like a virtue and digital system and it touches every corner of the city.

Beijing has initiated full-scale construction of a capital-security communication framework, six major technology systems for Olympics security, an Olympics intelligence traffic system, and a dynamic fire control digital system for the Olympics field. These provide strong technological support for the security of the Olympics.

The police department in Beijing has implemented the full-scale construction of a capital-security communication framework:

— It has finished building the different levels of a police fast-response command system with the application of information technology. It uses network video supervising, GPS controlled police cars, police on-site information control, 110, 119, and 122 emergency contacts, a real-time information collection and management system, and an operating control system.

— It has combined operational information, real-time information, and related social information resources, and formed a strong information support system. The real-time analysis, fast relating with other cases, and the dynamic information inquiry will give support to security and solving cases with wide-angle and multiple-level services.
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— It has constructed an integrated communication system combining both wired and wireless networks, and completed the preliminary construction of an information highway, supported by wide-band digital networks and group digital communication systems.

— It has perfected the public service system. The police station is currently supporting 31 on-line services and has 53 downloads of relevant forms.

According to the requirement of “security combat” for the Olympics, the Beijing City Police Department has completed the security information system, an advanced security system involving both communication and command. It includes six subsystems: a computer information command system, an information network communications system, an image information system, a personnel and area control system, an actual combat technology system, and a single soldier digital system.

Beijing has also done a study of intelligence traffic control. During the Olympics, based on a model of automobile and pedestrian traffic, it will have a complete and scientific traffic guidance system and an Olympics special-purpose guidance system. The traffic dispatcher system will also be perfected. These systems will be in complete accord with international standards. Also, the Olympics gymnasiums, special-purpose Olympics buses, and places with major activities will be monitored by TV 24-7. All these will give a fully intelligent transportation service for the Olympics.

In the work of the fire control system, major technical issues such as secure evacuation of the 90,000 people in the national gymnasium and steel-structures for fire prevention have all be delineated. In the city-wide fire control system, a great deal of high-technology equipment has been installed, such as remote-control robots for situations of subway fire, tunnel-fire, and large areas of poison gas or fog.

Internationally Advanced Weapons Equipment

The equipment for anti-terrorism, security inspection and explosion detection has achieved an internationally advanced level. Recently, Beijing’s modernized weapons equipment for the Olympics security personnel has drawn widespread attention from around the world.

— The police assault vehicles have strong attack and defense capabilities, and can be driven off-road. Special-purpose police can use them for dealing with hijacking, gunfights and other relevant violence.

— Violence-defensive vehicles have an anti-bullet functionality, nine electrical tear bombs in a running fire setting, and firing slots and striking horns on both sides of the vehicles. The climbing vehicles have extra assault ladders, and can break windows on the low levels of buildings. They can perform outside blocking and assault in case of an incident of crowd violence and of high-level confrontation attacks.
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— The command vehicles have advanced network communication systems, image transferring equipment, and the ability of communication while moving. They can gather all useful information and make the decisions with no loss of time. They are moving multi-functional commanding centers.

— The anti-explosion and security inspection motorcade is composed of anti-explosion trailers, interfering vehicles, anti-explosion equipment vehicles, and ZBV security inspection vehicles. They have the functionality of detecting explosion threats, anti-explosion, transporting, and screening, etc. They can perform security inspections of the contest fields, equipment, and people. The technology is the most advanced internationally.

— Multifunctional special-purpose motorcade. It is composed of armored cars, obstacle-laying vehicles, troop-transporting vehicles, and water bomb vehicles. The obstacle-laying vehicles can quickly lay down large numbers of obstacles to control the situation. The armored cars and troop-transporting vehicles can defend against an attack of hard particles such as large bricks, and are for transferring large numbers of armed forces to the center of an incident. The water bomb vehicles can shoot out high-pressure water, in order to dissipate crowds.

— The police aerocade under the special-purpose troops of the Beijing City Police Department was formed in April of 2007. It has four police helicopters, which are equipped with electric winches that can hang in the air and perform emergency rescues. They are also equipped with special high technology equipment to perform night searches, tracking and illumination, and image transferring. They will be performing air duties during the Olympics such as air command, patrol, and emergency rescue.

— The special-purpose troop was formed in 2005. It has 1000 special-purpose members who are equipped with long-barreled guns, handguns, and wolf-eye flashlights. Each squad is equipped with obstacle-clearing vehicles, dismantle vehicles, quiet submachine-guns, remote-intercepting machines, and electric intercepting vehicles, etc. All members have been trained for anti-terrorism attacks, and have experience in dealing with violent attacks such as hijacking, kidnapping, and explosion.

On June 21, the “Blue Sword” assault squad of the special-purpose troop was formally ordered to perform anti-terrorism tasks during the Olympics. The “Blue Sword” has had their original 81-1 automatic rifles replaced with 95- assault rifles, used by the field operation troops, and their 97-submachine guns have been replaced with the 06-submachine guns, which are the most advance submachine guns in the nation. The helmets that these special-purpose police wear are bulletproof Kevlar, and are used for the first time by the Beijing Police Department.

Also, a high-energy microwave emission machine can send microwave beams to destroy electrical devices within a certain distance. It is used for anti-explosion controls and by the motorcades. The acoustic sniper detector can locate snipers within several seconds. All this high technology equipment has reached the most advanced level internationally.

Endnotes:
[1] Outlook Weekly, July 7th, 2008
http://news.sohu.com/20080707/n258003951.shtml