Armed police activated three rings of checkpoints around Beijing yesterday as part of the government's drive to ensure a safe Olympics next month.
As the capital makes final preparations for the event, which is being held between August 8 and 24, police and paramilitary officers were stationed at checkpoints set up on the roads into the capital.
They checked every vehicle coming in, leading to slower traffic but no severe jams, witnesses said.
At checkpoints on the outer ring, officers inspected each vehicle with electronic equipment and sniffer dogs, witnesses said, delaying each by an average of 10 minutes.
The outer ring seals Beijing off from the neighbouring province of Hebei on one side, and from the city of Tianjin on the other. The middle ring has been thrown around six suburban districts. The innermost security ring encompasses the city's eight districts. All but four of the 31 venues for medal competitions are within the innermost security ring.
The municipal public security bureau said it would close all the checkpoints at the three security rings circling the city in an emergency. 'The checkpoints are set up to prevent dangerous materials and people from entering the national capital,' Xinhua quoted a senior security official as saying.