Government and Policy
Tight surveillance in Xinjiang as riot anniversary nears
By Yan Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-07-03 09:23
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URUMQI - The latest batch of 8,370 surveillance cameras have been installed in Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, ahead of the anniversary of last year's July 5 riot, a local official said on Friday.
The installation of surveillance cameras is part of Urumqi's security reinforcement plan to prevent similar violent outbursts.
The unprecedented violence on July 5, 2009, left 197 people dead and more than 1,700 injured, according to official figures.
The high-definition surveillance video cameras, dubbed "Eagle Eye" by the local media, were installed on buses, at bus stops, on streets, in alleys, supermarkets, department stores, schools and kindergartens across the city as of July 1 this year, said Wang Yannian, an official with the city government's information technology office.
The security cameras are protected with special "riot-proof" shells, which are unbreakable and can withstand fires, said a spokesman for the city government of Urumqi. The cameras can even produce clear images in the dark.
The police will monitor the cameras 24 hours a day.
The China News Service said the local police had installed 46,953 security cameras throughout Urumqi by the end of last year and the figure is expected to reach 60,000 at the end of this year.
The cameras are installed in more than 3,000 public buses, 200 bus stations, along more than 4,000 roads, 270 schools and more than 100 large supermarkets or malls, the Xinjiang Economic Daily reported.
"My job is to report to the superior department if I sense an emergency situation in the area I am assigned to monitor," said Meng Qingya, who monitors cameras at a control center in Tianshan district.
The Tianshan district is the first in the city where the police have established "seamless" surveillance coverage over important and sensitive blocks, according to the center.
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"Images of drivers and passengers sitting beside them are very clear," said Duan Shoujiang, head of the command center of the district's police.
Since June 20, the local police have launched a 30-day crackdown on pick-pocketing and extortion at public facilities and crime-prone blocks, according to the public security bureau of Urumqi.
The campaign is also aimed at preventing relevant cases by beefing up police forces and adjusting patrolling routes.
Xinjiang has recruited 5,000 new police officers this year, lifting the oversight of violent crimes and emergency cases, said a source with the public security department of Xinjiang.
Xinhua contributed to this story.