More armed police are being deployed nationwide to conduct regular patrols on the streetsamid rising concerns over public security, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.
"The presence of armed police will enable immediate responses to emergencies andeffectively combat violent crimes," said Yan Zhengbin, deputy director of the ministry'spublic security management bureau.
The police will be armed with handguns and patrol city streets in key areas as well asplaces with large numbers of people such as railway stations, airports, shopping malls,schools and hospitals.
The move comes after a spate of violent incidents across the country, including a terroristattack on March 1 in Kunming, Yunnan province, which killed 29 people and injured 143others.
The armed police will be specially trained and equipped to conduct regular patrols, theministry said.
"Once they are faced with emergencies, such as when suspects are armed with guns andknives in robberies, (and) are gathering illegally or escaping from criminal activities, thepolice will decide if they need to use their handguns to deal with the situation," said asource close to the ministry who did not want to be named.
"If it is too late for warnings or if the incident would cause very serious consequences, thepolice might open fire," he said.
According to a national regulation on the use of police weapons, police are allowed to fireguns if repeated warnings are ignored during 15 emergencies that pose serious threats topublic safety. These include arson, murder, hostage taking, the hijacking of aircraft andtheft of ammunition.
Since Sunday, the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau has deployed 1,000 policeofficers equipped with revolvers to patrol the streets and key areas.
Similarly, from May 1, 4,000 armed police officers will patrol in Jiangsu province and120,000 assisting personnel will be deployed for routine patrols.
After armed police were deployed to patrol the streets in Changzhou, Jiangsu, in March,the number of robbery cases that month fell by 15 percent and car thefts fell by 47 percentcompared to the same period in 2012, authorities said. Reports of blackmail fell by about71 percent and pickpocketing cases fell by about 48 percent.
Public security agencies will arrange for police tutors and psychologists to evaluate theability of officers before they are armed, the ministry said. There will also be personnelfiles and counseling sessions as part of the evaluation, it said.
"After passing psychological tests, the police officers will receive special training. They areexpected to give warnings before firing any weapon," said Bing Minghua, director of thepatrol coaching department of Shanghai public security bureau.
They are also expected to attend counseling sessions after opening fire on suspects, he said.
Yan Zhengbin said the ministry is organizing police forces nationwide to receive training toenhance their capabilities in firearms and to regulate the use of them.
Dai Peng, director of the criminal investigation department under the Chinese People'sPublic Security University, said the recent spate of terrorist activities and violent crimesacross the country poses a serious threat to people's lives and property.
"The presence of armed police on the streets will effectively curb crime and improvepeople's sense of security," he said. "The key issue is to regulate the use of the handguns toprevent the police from abusing their power."
Most members of the public who heard about the move welcomed it.
Beijing taxi driver Zhang Yuchen said: "The presence of armed police on the streets will actas a deterrent to violent crimes and enhance residents' sense of security. But strictdiscipline will have to be enforced to prevent the police from abusing the firearms."
Dominik Ehmann from Germany said: "As an expat living in Shanghai, I feel safe. I tellevery friend who visits that I would go anywhere in China at any time of the day or night.In Germany, policemen and women carry pistols, and that always gives me a strangefeeling."
