Helicopters soon to patrol Shanghai skies

The city is getting ready to purchase three police helicopters, a security improvement leading up to the 2010 World Expo. The Shanghai force decided to go with Eurocopter instead of a domestic manufacture because, as the PSB director put it, ""Flying over Shanghai, a densely populated city with about 20 million residents, demands absolute security insurance." Here's more:

The helicopters will be initially utilized during the 2008 Olympic Games as some soccer matches are will be held in the city. The new Shanghai Police Aviation Squad will be used for other airborne law enforcement activities such as air patrol, medical aid, rescue operations, traffic control and suspect pursuit, disaster relief and anti-terrorist activities, said Zhiming, according to Chinese media outlet, Xinhua.

City police authorities advertised for 10 helicopter pilots in December for the new police air squad. Though no development on the staff was available, the bureau said all the recruits were expert in piloting and aircraft maintenance according to the Shanghai Daily.

CCTV also reports on Shanghai's "new armed patrol vehicles":

More than 800 police officers will start patrolling twenty four hours a day from May 1st. They will mainly deal with serious accidents and possible terrorist attacks or hostage cases. Areas with high crime rates will come under particular scrutiny by patrollers.

We're excited, not only for our safety, but for what these advancements could mean to the future of Chinese reality television.