BEIJING - Wang Xiumei leaned against the iron gate of Hongxialu community at noon on Wednesday. Her dog lay at her feet in the shadows, panting from the heat, but Wang's eyes were fixed on people coming in and out of the community.
Wang, 65, is one of Hongxialu community's 288 security volunteers who offered to maintain order in the community and enforce public hygiene in their neighborhood.
"Most of us 288 volunteers are citizens above 50 years old in the neighborhood. We work a two-hour shift at a different location every day," said Wang, pointing to her red armband and Olympic-rings-shaped badge, which read "Olympic security volunteer".
"Mostly, we just watch for strangers who enter the community and report to the police if we find anyone suspicious. We can't fight crime, but the presence of such patrols could scare troublemakers off. It's the least I can do to contribute to a safe Olympics," she said.
With the Games set to open in 16 days, safety has become China's No.1 issue, and the public has also gradually shifted its focus from the "best Games in history" to the more pragmatic "safe Games".
A policeman stands guard at Beijing West Railway Station in Beijing, July 22, 2008. [Xinhua] |
"A safe Olympics is the premise for a first-class Games with Chinese characteristics. Safety is our top concern here," Vice President Xi Jinping said here on Monday during a visit to the Games' command center and several event venues.
It was the second time for Xi to stress safety, following his call on July 15 in Qinghuangdao of northern China's Hebei Province that Olympic venues outside Beijing should give priority to safety.
Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Meng Jianzhu, Minister of the Public Security, also underlined in July that the security work for the Olympics is in a key phase, and the public should be mobilized to contribute to the security of the Games.
China is not just paying lip service to security, as measures to ward off threats could be easily seen in Beijing and other Olympic cities.
"Painstaking efforts have been made to strengthen community patrols, crack down on various criminal activities, tighten management of dangerous goods and deploy security personnel in crucial Olympic sites," Liu Shaowu, director of the Olympics organizing body's security department told a press conference on Wednesday. "It's all an unprecedented effort to eliminate potential safety hazards in a timely manner," he said.
Fences now encircle all Olympic venues, the Olympic Village and the Olympic headquarters hotels. Monitoring and alarm facilities have been installed with personnel and vehicle security checkpoints set up.
The city launched on June 29 security checks on passengers taking the subway, Beijing's most widely used transportation. As of July 13, police had detained 39 people who brought prohibited knives into subways.
"It's a bit chaotic when you have to undergo subway security checks during rush hours," said Li Su, who works at an accounting company.
"Every computer bag and briefcase has to be X-rayed, creating a huge queue around the security check machine. But personally I think it's worth it. Better safe than late, I guess," he said.
