NewBeijing on highest security alert after Urumqi suicide blast
Police, armed forces and SWAT teams now patrol the city round the clock
The authorities have stepped up security measures in the capital after Wednesday’s deadly blast at the South Urumqi train station.
Beijing carried out an anti-terrorist drill at the Beijing Railway Station late on Thursday night. The municipal public security bureau set up a command centre at the station, counting the reaction time in seconds.
The drill started at 11.50pm. Police from the branch near the station arrived in 50 seconds, and all relevant police forces were assembled in 15 minutes. The commander inspected the teams afterwards, and the drill ended at 12.25am.
The public security bureau said they did not inform anyone in advance about the drill in order to accurately assess the forces’ actual capability.
On the first day of the Labour Day holiday, the Beijing Youth Daily reported that armed police had joined local police in patrolling both Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station.
People picking up and dropping off passengers had to register to enter the station with a voucher card each, the paper reported. The two stations together issued 2,400 cards yesterday.
State media reported that this time, the Beijing government and its municipal public security bureau had launched the highest level of security control.