A total of 92 training courses have been organized and more than 6,000 police had accepted English training by August, said sources with the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Since January, the branches and sub-bureaus of the bureau have drafted mid- and long-term training plans, sources said.

"The movement caters to the development of Beijing into an international metropolis," said Yu Ye, an official with the BMPSB's Haidian District branch bureau. "It also meets the requirements of police work in the future as well the demands of administrative and social services after China's entry into the World Trade Organization.

"The training courses proved very helpful. They helped our police settle many cases smoothly, especially those involving foreigners," he added.

Dai Yan, deputy secretary of the Youth League Committee of the branch bureau, said about 150 police officers with good command of English were selected for five terms of intensive English training.

"At the beginning, some of my colleagues lacked enthusiasm or thought it too hard to learn English," he said. "To arouse their interests and encourage them we organized English clubs and held various activities in our bureau."

For example, some police trainees were organized to stage English plays.

"All our police are eager to learn English now," he noted.

"I like the training course very much," said a young policewoman identified only as Tong. "Through this, I've learned a lot of useful things and made many new good friends as well."

Dai added "unremitting efforts will be made to train more qualified police and to make more contributions to the development of Beijing."

Per BMPSB's program, more than 8,400 police officers in Beijing will be given English training by the end of the year, sources said.

Besides police, taxi drivers, public servants and people from all walks of life in the capital are encouraged to study English for the forthcoming Olympic Games, sources said.

(China Daily September 12, 2002)