Capital police agencies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are to enhance exchanges and cooperation in police affairs and various other unconventional public security fields in a bid to safeguard public security in the capital cities of concerned countries.

The information came from the Workshop on Policing Exchange and Cooperation among Capital Police Agencies from ASEAN, China, Japan and ROK, which opened in Beijing Wednesday.

More than 80 major police officers from 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan and ROK met at the workshop and will exchange views and conduct face-to-face discussions on ways to enhance exchanges and cooperation in the coming three days. Meeting participants said they would offer suggestions for maintaining safety during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

"The Olympic Games are a grand eye-catching event and Chinese police can cooperate with the police of other countries to secure safety during the games," said Han Jin-Hee, senior superintendent general of Seoul Metropolitan Police department of the ROK.

Han said the current workshop provides a good opportunity for ROK and Chinese police to conduct exchanges and cooperation, suggesting the two sides should have more mutual visits in the future.

Ma Zhenchuan, director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said that Beijing police would strengthen and expand cooperation with the international community in securing safety during the Olympic Games, to insure a smooth convening of the Olympic Games.

Tokyo and Beijing have always conducted exchanges and cooperation in police affairs and such cooperation has been further enhanced, said Shunichi Kuryo, director-general of the Organized Crime Control Bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department of Japan.

The face-to-face discussion provides a good chance for improving cooperation with police agencies from other countries, Shunichi acknowledged. When talking about safety during the Olympic Games, Shunichi suggested that it is imperative to make full preparations.

Firman Gani, head of the police agency in Jakarta, said that Chinese police and police agencies of ASEAN countries should maintain close contact and launch more face-to-face discussions to enhance cooperation.

Due to their geographical proximity, Liu Shaowu, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said that China, ASEAN, Japan and the ROK share common interests and situations, and the police of these countries have unanimous ideas and share consensus in the prevention of crimes, safeguarding public order in communities and serving the public.

It was learned that the Beijing police agency has established cooperation relationships with numerous capital police agencies of foreign countries in recent years and has recorded many cases of successful cooperation.

Source: Xinhua