Chinese city Urumqi placed under tight security ahead of riots anniversary

New Delhi, July 2 (ANI): The north-western Chinese city of Urumqi has been fitted with high-definition surveillance cameras ahead of the anniversary of a riot that left almost 200 people dead last year.

The Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman of the municipal government of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as saying on Thursday, that security cameras with special "riot-proof" protective shells have been installed in the city.

Police would monitor the cameras, which were installed on 3,400 buses, and at 200 bus stops, 4,440 streets and lanes, 270 schools and kindergartens, 100 shopping malls and supermarkets, and other places, he said.

The cameras are part of a security reinforcement ahead of the anniversary of the riot of July 5 last year, which left 197 people dead and more than 1,700 injured.

Xinjiang had recruited 5,000 police officers this year, and police coverage of violent crime, street patrols and emergencies had been stepped up, said a source with the public security department of Xinjiang.

Urumqi police bureau chief Wang Mingshan said police had started drills to deal with emergencies, initiated campaigns to confiscate guns and explosives, and launched a crackdown on violent crime in June. (ANI)