Patrols to ensure Olympic safety
By Guo Nei and Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-12-13 06:13

To ensure a safe Olympic Games in Beijing, more patrol police will be deployed in the city's five suburban districts, including Tongzhou, Daxing, Changping, by 2008.

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau announced yesterday that the increased patrol police force would be equipped with advanced devices, more police dogs, patrol cars and even motorcycles.

Although Beijing is regarded as one of the safest cities in China, suburban regions where migrants are located account for about 70 per cent of all crime in the city.

He said over the next two years, more than 400 police dogs would be deployed to strengthen patrol forces, providing crime-fighting canines for every patrol car.

Today, the city has 490 patrol cars but only about 70 police dogs.

The bureau said police dogs would not be deployed in the urban districts of Dongcheng, Xicheng, Xuanwu and Chongwen.

Instead, in these areas motorcycles will be used to speed up police's emergencies responses, said Yang Chaoyuan, deputy director of the patrol brigade.

Motorcycles have been phased out in policy patrolling in recent years and only about 20 motorcycles are in service in Dongcheng District.

Meanwhile yesterday, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) officially launched the Beijing 2008 Supplier Sponsorship Programme.

The programme is a swap: suppliers donate their goods or services in exchange for permission to use the marks of Olympic Games and Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) in their marketing plans.

Yuan Bin, director of BOCOG Marketing Department, said suppliers get rights and benefits packages in return for their contributions to the Games as well as a hospitality package and honorary treatment.

This include Olympic torch relay bearer slots, tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, competition entry, accreditation, accommodation and transportation.

Suppliers can have either exclusive Olympic marketing rights within a product/service category, or two or more suppliers in a similar product/service category can get co-exclusive Olympic marketing rights.

In order to carry out the programme, BOCOG conducted extensive marketing research across a wide range of the industries, including ticketing services, building materials, newspapers and magazines, office equipment, furniture, sports equipment and gym equipment.

Companies in industries other than those from the study, whose products and services could satisfy the Games' needs and do not conflict with existing sponsors' product categories, can also become Suppliers of the Games, Yuan added.

(China Daily 12/13/2005 page2)