Beijing police to share air support expertise

The police departments of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province signed a framework agreement on Wednesday to form a cross-regional platform for cooperation in the air.

Under the agreement, the air support unit of the Beijing police department will assist the police in Tianjin and Hebei province by carrying out flight missions and conducting search-and-rescue work.

The Beijing unit will also conduct regular drills with police in the two regions and help them develop their own air support divisions, the agreement said.

Fu Zhenghua, vice-minister of public security and head of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said at the signing ceremony that the cooperation is a response to President Xi Jinping's call for broader efforts at integration.

The cooperation platform will help ensure the safety of the capital and the stability of the region, Fu said.

There are 22 police air support units now in China, with more than 40 helicopters. The Beijing police department's air support unit, the country's largest, has five helicopters, 18 pilots and 22 maintenance personnel.