A comprehensive training project to improve the police's response to emergencies has been underway since April 2006 and is expected to last until the onset of the Games in 2008.

In order to further boost security measures for the Games, helicopters will patrol the skies of Beijing, with the city's first 'copter patrol' taking off next June.

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High-level meetings have also provided the city with the opportunity to test out their new security measures. The Sino-African Summit held in November 2006, receiving leaders of 48 African nations, was widely taken as a rehearsal for Olympic security.

Along with the Summit, the China Open tennis tournament and the Chinese Football Super League, have both provided opportunities to 'test the water' with new security initiatives.

The organizing committee for the Beijing Games has been looking at lessons learned from previous Olympics.

Beijing held an international security conference in November 2006 where anti-terrorism experts from seven nations convened to discuss security measures for 2008.

"International cooperation is key to Olympic security," said Li Wei, director of the Counter-terrorism Studies Center, "every country is concerned about their athletes' safety. An effective system will be promoted to facilitate international cooperation."

For Beijing locals, safety is beyond their worries.They are more concerned about the troubles brought by the security measures.

Sun Zhaoxia, a 45-year-old Beijing local working at a state-owned enterprise said, "Traffic controls are common in great events in Beijing. More police patrol the streets and there is more limitation on the entrance to certain places."

However, according to most experts, the public has no reason to worry about safety and security during the Games.

Whilst pointing out that China is not a direct target of international terrorism, Li also made it clear that, "Nowhere can be 100 percent safe, especially as terrorism is now a global issue and the Olympics will offer a mouthwatering opportunity for groups such as Al-Qaeda to spread terror."

Li explained that 'traditional' terrorism had the main goal of "causing fear by mass disruption rather than mass murder." Terrorism in the 21st century, however, usually has the aim of "killing as many people as possible with maximum exposure." He stressed that possible internal threats might come from the 'traditional' school of terrorism such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) -- who advocate an "independent" Xinjiang -- along with the extreme Tibetan separatist movements.

Li warned that individual disturbances are also possible, as China is experiencing a growing rich-poor divide, "Some individuals may take extreme actions such as poisoning food and planting bombs in order to avenge society."

Mei Jianming added to Li's comments by saying that, "All terrorists, no mater whether they act as part of an organized group or on their own, have one purpose in common, namely to attract public attention to themselves and to ultimately achieve their goals, whatever they may be."

The public is expected to assist in counter-terrorism operations during the Olympics by keeping an eye out for possible signs of disturbance. Li told China Features that it is clear that, "Terrorists are not living in vacuum. They may be living in remote and isolated places, but they do have regular contact with society. The public can report any suspicious activities or individuals to the police."

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