A major "field training" program for police officers to deal with "unexpected events" including major terrorist attacks over the period of the 2008 Olympic Games was officially launched Thursday.

The program started with a "hostage rescue" demonstration, which included loud explosions, by the city's special crack police unit.

More than 40,000 police officers in the capital will be trained in all aspects countering threats over the next two years.

Qiang Wei, Beijing's deputy Party secretary and also head of the Beijing Olympic Security Co-ordination Group, said the training program was part of the plan to ensure a safe and peaceful Olympics.

"Beijing is an international metropolis with a low crime rate," said Qiang. "But to prevent and handle unexpected incidents which may happen during the Games we need a strong force," he said. Interestingly his name literally means "strong safeguard."

At Thursday's demonstration two armored police vans sped by with sirens blaring and lights flashing, policemen in black flak jackets advanced with guns or shields in their hands and fired at "terrorists".

Some of the police climbed onto a roof, descending vertically by way of a rope into a courtyard where they subdued a group who were posing a threat. 

The Hollywood-style demonstration was held at Beijing People's Police College which is rarely open to outsiders. The college is the location where all 40,000 police officers receive their training, said Zhao Yuan, director of the training department of the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

She said it would be a three-phase training program. "From now to the end of this year the focus will be on basic skills including physical strength," Zhao said.

Next year officers will receive training in simulated conditions. And in 2008 field training will be conducted in the college as well as the Olympic venues.

Zhao said police officers would receive different training courses according to specified duties. Beijing police started to receive foreign language training in 2001.

Bureau figures show that 17,480 officers have so far received the Beijing Oral English Certificate.

Zhao said such language training was ongoing and it was estimated that by the end of next year more than 60 percent of Beijing police officers would have passed language oral tests.

"Besides English other languages such as French, German and Arabic are also included in the training," Zhao explained.

Diplomats from 37 foreign embassies in Beijing were also invited to Thursday's launch ceremony. Janusz Tatera, counsellor of the Polish Embassy, who is also secretary general of the Polish Olympic Committee, said the training was a positive move to ensure a safe Olympics.

(China Daily April 28, 2006)