Beijing authorities will mobilize 810,000 non-police forces to patrol in residential communities and streets as an extra security measure during the upcoming China-Africa forum.

 

The non-police forces will include people from almost all walks of life, such as government officials, retired people, security guards, parking lot fee collectors, migrant workers, business people from outside the capital and various other volunteers, said a spokesman with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

 

An association of volunteers for capital security patrol has been set up, and different tasks allocated to different people at various times of day, the spokesman said.

 

All the volunteers will wear a red armband, he said.

 

This is not the first time that Beijing police have used volunteers to reinforce security when a major event takes place in the Chinese capital.

 

More than 40 African countries will attend the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation slated for Nov. 3-5.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2006)