Xinjiang leader puts security to the test

URUMQI: The top leader in the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region put its emergency response system to the test this week before making a surprise visit to the region’s public security command centre.

Chen Quanguo, the Party chief of Xinjiang, which is regarded as China’s front line in the fight against terrorism, has made keeping the region stable one of his priorities since taking office in August.

On Tuesday, he visited a busy street in Urumqi, the regional capital, and had a member of his staff make an emergency call to security services to test the response time.

The first police-trained emergency response officers, who are armed with non-lethal weapons, arrived at the scene in 54 seconds, while a back-up team including armed police officers arrived in two minutes, Xinjiang Daily reported on Wednesday.

To further improve the response time to emergency incidents, such as terrorist attacks, Xinjiang has established a network of public security service stations in all cities and counties.

Security officers are expected to arrive at any emergency within a minute.

The region plans to set up more stations this year to strengthen the network, according to the regional government.

During a visit to a service station, Chen urged officers to show no mercy to terrorists.

He said every second counts when dealing with emergencies, and security forces must make sure there are no blind spots. — China Daily/Asia News network