Major News
Courts ramp up security in wake of judge slayings
By Zhang Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-03 07:50
 |
Large Medium Small |
Courtrooms across Beijing tightened security measures after three judges were killed in Hunan province on Tuesday and a plaintiff tried to kill himself on Wednesday in Haidian district court.
Zhou Guangqi, chief of police of the Fengtai district court, on Wednesday said that court police officers have added new gear, including shields and helmets, to their traditional equipment such as batons.
On Tuesday, a security chief for a bank branch in Yongzhou, Hunan province, entered a district court and fatally shot three judges with a submachine gun and two pistols. He then killed himself with one of the guns.
On Wednesday, a man used a surgical knife to cut his wrist in the Haidian district court because he thought the defendant's testimony was false. The man was sent to a hospital, Beijing News reported. Haidian district court officials declined to comment on the case Wednesday and said they would release details later.
Zhou of Fengtai district court said 100 to 150 people typically queue in front of the courthouse every morning and it takes 15 minutes for them to pass security checks.
That time has now been lengthened to 30 minutes because of heightened screening that includes pat-downs. People carrying liquids must drink it first to prove it is harmless.
He said about 30 officers are stationed at the courthouse, with three to five of them assigned to security checks and about the same number deployed in a closed-circuit television control room. In an emergency, the officers will rush to the spot within two or three minutes.
The officers also exercise twice a day, Zhou said.
Miyun county court has collected fingerprints of all judges and police officers. When they enter the building, the doors can only be opened with genuine fingerprints, Mirror Evening News reported.
In Chaoyang district, every circuit tribunal also has installed security scanners. All knives and lighters will be confiscated at the entrances, the newspaper said.
Haidian district court installed buttons under the judges' seats. In an emergency, a judge can press a button to summon help.
The court said it also conducted an anti-riot exercise in which a mock mob simulated an attack on the court. More than 20 officers arrived, blocked the gate with shields and subdued the attackers within a couple of minutes.
China Daily
(China Daily 06/03/2010 page25)
