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MORE police officers and subway staff will be put on duty in Shanghai today
to handle passenger peak hours - the first work day after new security-check
channels went into operation over the weekend.
Metro police said they
would also beef up the number of patrol officers and sniffer dogs to carry out
increased random checks among the crowd so as to relieve pressure on the luggage
checkpoints near station entrances.
The increased workforce is
expected to help speed up security checks during work day rush hours to ensure
smooth traffic flow as well as improve Metro safety, police said.
Officers and subway employees working at the new checkpoints have
undergone professional training and will try their best not to affect commuters,
police said.
They asked passengers to cooperate with checking staff.
About 260 inspection areas for scrutinizing luggage security were
opened at all 161 Metro stations on Saturday.
The new channels
operated smoothly and did not hold up passenger flows at the weekend.
At hub stations, such as the People's Square and Zhongshan Park,
most luggage inspections were each completed within about 30 seconds.
''We have called on students from the Metro engineering schools as
well as from police schools to go through training programs in luggage security
checks,'' said Liu Haiming, an officer with local Metro police. ''They are being
sent as extra forces to back up the inspection operation, especially on the
weekends.'' Bags and suitcases of medium and large sizes will be subject to
examination at the special checkpoints before they can be taken into a station.
Metro safety rules state that Metro workers and police have the authority to
order passengers to open any carry-on for a security check.
Shanghai
Port International Cruise Terminal also launched the luggage inspection system
on Saturday afternoon to prevent combustible and dangerous goods from being
carried onto passenger liners. It's the first time the cruise ship terminal has
adopted such a security-check system. |
