10,000 Beijing police receive first aid training ahead of Olympics

Q1: What would the policemen learn?

Q2: How many policemen were expected to be called up to protect the 2008 Olympics?

More than 10,000 police in Beijing will receive first aid training programs amid efforts to ensure a safer Olympics in 2008, according to the municipal public security authorities.

The first batch of around 1,000 policemen on Wednesday began their two-day training program at Beijing Police College, said Zheng Weiping, vice president of the college.

Zheng said the policemen will learn basic first aid skills including artificial respiration, treatment of acute diseases and minor injuries and also self defence and emergency procedures.

He said the second batch of 1,000 traffic police in the suburban districts and counties of Changping, Tongzhou, Shunyi, and Yanqing will attend the program at the end of this month.

The police authorities said on Wednesday that it will start allocating policemen to more than 100 venues for the Olympics next August, a year before the Games.

They said the police will carry out mock exercises as Beijing hosts more than 20 sporting events in the second half of 2007.

About 90,000 policemen are expected to be called up to protect the 2008 Olympics and the security budget is expected to reach 300 million U.S. dollars, accounting for one fifth of the total costs, according to the organizing committee of the 2008 Olympic Games.