Officers from the Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics unit and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force enter a "hijacked bus" during an anti-terror drill in the capital's Huairou district, Sept 23, 2010. [Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily]

Exercise displays officers' prowess in combat skills, dealing with hijacking

BEIJING - Police in the capital held an anti-terrorism drill on Thursday in which they displayed their determination to safeguard local residents' security.

The hour-long drill was staged by 340 officers from Beijing Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit and a special unit of the Chinese People's Armed Police Force.

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It came before the country's National Day, which falls on Oct 1, and one month after a bungled bus hostage rescue in Manila that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

Gao Yu, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said the fight against terrorism is an important task for police in all countries and the drill aimed "to show our ability to maintain stability and peace".

The drill consisted of demonstrations of basic combat skills, shooting skills and physical training, as well as dealing with a simulated bus hijacking.

"We have paid great attention to the Aug 23 bus hijacking in Manila, and by carefully analyzing it, we have learnt important lessons and improved our preparations in this regard," Liu Gensheng, a spokesman for Beijing SWAT team, said at a press briefing after the drill.

"The drill is a critical means to test the quality of SWAT force members' daily training, and to get them physically and mentally ready for any emergency situation," Hao Yunchao, a member of the SWAT team based in neighboring Tianjin, who was invited to watch the drill, told China Daily.

About 60 members of the public were chosen via Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau's micro-blog on sina.com.cn to watch Thursday's drills.

"I was really impressed by the SWAT team's excellent performance and I'm confident that, thanks to them, Beijing will be a safer place," said Dong Bomei, a freshman at Beijing International Studies University.

China Daily