Local police ensure safe start to new school semester in Shanghai
A Baoshan District policeman helps a little girl cross the street on Wednesday, the first day of this year's spring term in Shanghai.
Students of kindergartens as well as primary, middle and high schools in Shanghai returned to campus on Wednesday with local police on hand to maintain order.
About 40,000 police officers, police assistants as well as security guards were out on the street, ensuring a safe start to the new semester.
More than 2 million students in approximately 4,000 school returned to campus.
The traffic pressure rose sharply on Wednesday morning, with the peak traffic hour reaching 20 minutes earlier than during the school vacation, according to local traffic police
They stepped up efforts in advance to cope with any emergency situation around school gates, such as opening new parking lots for parents, putting traffic signs as parking guide and increasing personnel on special areas and roads.
Also, more police motorcycles were put on the road to help ease traffic pressure before and after school times.
A Jing'an District police officer distributes cultural and creative products with safety signs to school students.
Around 7:15am on Wednesday morning, Chang Yi Primary School in Shanghai's landmark Lujiazui area, which is located near the newly opened exit of Yan'an Road E. Tunnel, police officers were on motorcycles to direct traffic, which was easier and quicker when persuading vehicles caught in a traffic to leave.
The complex traffic condition around the school gate put more pressure on the police.
"To cope with the traffic problem around the school, we increased the police force to begin with," said Liu Wenxuan, an official with the city's traffic police. "We also dispatched more motorcycles along with police assistants."
Liu revealed that they also changed the all-day parking spaces around the school to day-parking spaces "to provide convenience for parents transporting their kids."
A police officer on guard outside Xuhui High School.
In Huangpu District, a 50-meter-long and 1-meter-wide walking path was set out of Xiling No. 1 Kindergarten, which was to be used exclusively when picking up and dropping the children.
The "safe path" was initiated by officers of Bansongyuan police station, assisted by the local property management office and residents.
"Children lack safety awareness. When they see their parents coming to pick them up after school, they rush out of the gate. If there is a scooter passing by at the time, it can be very dangerous," Yao Peiying, the deputy headmaster of the kindergarten, explained.
"Now with this 'safe path,' the hidden danger will be greatly reduced."
A policeman directs traffic on the road near Chang Yi Primary School in the Pudong New Area.
First class on public safety
Along with safeguarding students outside schools on Wednesday, police officers also spared no effort in improving the children's safety awareness.
At noon, a SUV police car drove into Xuhui No. 1 Central Primary School. Around the car were 30 traffic cones.
Some students got on the vehicle to learn the safety knowledge of knowing the blind spots of drivers.
"From the outside, people probably think that the driver in the car can find us in time, but in fact, if we stand in his blind spot, they cannot notice sometimes," said a police officer, surnamed Han.
Joining hands with the local education, emergency and subdistirct officials as well as firefighters, Xuhui police officers used vivid and interesting ways to present the "first class on safety", including visiting firefighting equipment, experiencing earthquake rooms, and learning how to break barriers to escape, aiming to help students comprehensively improve their safety awareness and emergency self-rescue ability.
A police officer teaches students about blind spots of a driver at Xuhui No. 1 Central Primary School during a safety drill.
Students take part in a fire escape drill at a local school on the first day of the new semester.
Students experience earthquake in a stimulated room and learn how to escape when a temblor hits.
A student tries to break from a closed space by using a sharp tool.
