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SPECIAL security channels come into operation today at Shanghai's 161 Metro stations to allow passengers' luggage to be inspected.
People with medium to large bags will have to go to special inspection points before entering Metro stations. Otherwise, they will be stopped by police officers or Metro workers inside the station and have to open their luggage for checks.
The new measures are in accordance with public safety rules, the city's Metro police said yesterday.
From today there will be nearly 260 luggage checkpoints on the Metro network. Busy stations and transfer hubs such as the People's Square and Xinzhuang stations have been prepared with three or more such inspection areas around their passenger entrances.
Metro police are calling for understanding and cooperation from commuters as they said the stricter inspection practices would inevitably lead to delays for some passengers.
"Public safety is the top concern of our efforts," city police spokesman Liu Haiming said yesterday.
Signs have been put up at Metro stations to guide passengers through the proper channels and they also display a list of forbidden and dangerous items.
Police have warned that failure to cooperate could lead to detention for up to 15 days. They said 700 passengers carrying dangerous goods had been detained or fined for disobedient behavior since April 15.
"They either refused to open bags for inspection or tried to enter the station again after they were ordered to leave,'' Liu said.
Police have found more than 1,200 forbidden items and opened nearly 100,000 bags and suitcases at Metro stations since the middle of last month. Items seized included liquidized gas, fireworks, painting oils and glue materials.
On April 30 a police officer with a sniffer dog stopped a passenger with 80 fireworks inside a suitcase at Zhongshan Park Station.
The passenger received a warning and was ordered to leave the Metro, Liu said.
Police also keep a close eye on express delivery operations on the Metro as it has become common practice for some delivery workers to take Metro trains to different parts of town and exchange packages without leaving the station, thus avoiding ticket charges.
Clients' packages are passed to and picked up by fellow workers outside the turnstiles, which is illegal.
The delivery of packages via the Metro will now be closely supervised.
"If the delivery workers can't open the packages for inspection, they must leave the Metro immediately," the Metro police said.
Many express delivery companies have stopped accepting orders for the transport of liquid goods since security inspections have been stepped up in the city's Metro system.
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