CHINA: Beijing Olympic Security all set
Updated
Security planning for the Olympic Games in Beijing is well advanced according to the man in charge. Liu Shao Wu, the Director of the Security Department of the Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has finalised 52 security plans all up and testing the system is now "in full swing". A 25 year veteran of the Beijing Police Force, Commander Liu shares with Australia's Peter Ryan the distinction of being one of the few police officers to be put in charge of Games security.
Presenter: Karon Snowdon
Speakers: Liu Shao Wu, Director of Security for the Beijing Olympic Games, speaking through an interpreter
SNOWDON: It's not always easy to get Chinese officials to talk to the media, even harder when the topic is security.
But the Director of the Beijing Games Security Department says the world's focus is on his doorstep.
Liu Shao Wu has 25 years experience as a Beijing policeman.
It must have been good experience to deal with 20 national agencies being directed by the Central Government leadership, and to come up with the 52 security plans and the 500 special plans he says have been finalised for the games.
He adds these all meet the International Olympic Committee standards but have additional Chinese characteristics.
LIU: If one is said one sentence we're in line with IOC requirements at the same time which is based on a Beijing situation. Because as you know one game has a long-time history so you have to learn from past experience. At the same time security has to connect with the local situation, special security system, so you have to know what's exactly going on at an operational level. So we're based on these two features to work out this claim.
SNOWDON: Mr Liu Beijing has never hosted an event like this before on this scale. Can the Beijing committee guarantee a safe Olympic games?
LIU: Yes personally I think we are fully competent for that part because you know firstly everybody does it for the first time, secondly, Beijing already has a lot of experience for hosting a lot of big major events. As you know like the Asian Games, also the games for international universities, a lot of political and economic forums. So we're pretty experienced for it already.
SNOWDON: Liu Shao Wu was a speaker at an APEC Security Conference being held in Sydney, where security arrangements for the APEC leaders summit in September will render large parts of the city's business district off-limits for a week.
Since the 9/11 attacks high tech solutions and international cooperation for such large events is essential.
Beijing has taken lessons from the Sydney and the Athens Games.
One of them is to appoint a cop as head of security.
Peter Ryan was the head of the NSW state police force when Sydney gave him unprecedented power to direct defence and intelligence agencies as well as a 5-thousand strong police contingent to guard the Sydney Games. It was a first for an Olympic Games.
Peter Ryan is now a security consultant to the Beijing Olympic Games.
Also a policeman, Liu Shao Wu says the Beijing Committee has taken a different tack from other games committees and initiated security planning from day one instead of adding it on later.
And by incorporating existing domestic systems he hasn't had to reinvent the wheel and has saved money.
I asked if that means taking shortcuts.
LIU: Personally I agree sometimes the cost is the basis for the security. But at the same time I also think you have to make a perfect balance between security and cost, because sometimes, especially for Beijing we have learned from our own experience which don't reveal completely like all the technology system. We just use our existing one, improve it, also allow a leading company and wisdom. By this way we can just maximise our function, our existing wisdom, I think then we can make it as perfect as we can do, and also all the cost effective principle is under the condition of the security.
