(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-12-28 14:16

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai, China's financial center, has built a police helicopter brigade to better respond to public security emergencies, said a local government spokesman.

"Shanghai's public security department has set up a police helicopter brigade, which comprises of a group of well trained police pilots and is equipped with three helicopters imported from Europe," Jiao Yang, spokesman of the Shanghai Municipal Government, told a news briefing on Thursday.

The helicopters are two light multi-mission EC 135 twin-engine helicopters and a medium-lift EC 155 twin-engine helicopter from Eurocopter, said Jiao.

Jiao said that construction on the brigade's helicopter base is going on in Pudong New District, and is due to complete in June, 2008.

Police sources said that the helicopters will be used to serve the security of nine preliminary Olympic football matches to be held in Shanghai in 2008, and the World Expo in 2010.

Prior to Shanghai brigade, China had seven police helicopter fleets, three police airports and 20 police helicopters, drafted for traffic control, assistance in crime cases and response to medical and other emergencies.

The first police helicopter in China was put into use in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province in 1994. Cities of Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Dalian and Sanmenxia have used police helicopters.