China to spend less on Olympic security

BEIJING: Determined to keep the cost of hosting next year's Olympics under control, China will spend less on security for the Games but is confident of delivering a secure show.

"Our cost will be below that of other host countries, while also ensuring that the security work proceeds smoothly," head of the security department of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG), Liu Shaowu said.

Greece was forced to spend a record $1.5 billion on security for the 2004 Games in Athens in the wake of September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Liu said relying on domestic providers for surveillance systems and other necessary equipment has helped keep costs low.

He said China has also drawn foreign expertise and experiences to ensure the safety of the 2008 Olympics.

"Last month we invited Peter Ryan from Sydney to discuss with us about some particular security problems. We learnt valuable experiences from them," he said.

Liu revealed Vassilios Constantinides, who headed security for the Athens Games had also been consulted.

Liu, also the deputy director of Beijing's Public Security Bureau, said studies have been conducted on the security at the Olympic venues and a series of plans and manuals have been formulated since 2003.

"We have established a complete security network for the Olympics," he said.