By Chen Xiaoru

Despite widely publicized plans from the subway authorities, all passengers were not being forced to hand over their bags for security checks in key subway stations in Shanghai on March 15.

Earlier this month, the subway authorities formally vowed to check all bags in 12 key subway stations beginning yesterday, saying it was a move to ensure safe transport during the upcoming Expo.

But inquiries from the Global Times showed that Zhongshan Park station, People’s Square station and Xujiahui station, three of the 12 key stations listed, were not checking every bag but were instead simply performing random inspections.

Security personnel at the People’s Square station said that they only performed random checks on passenger bags during rush hours and that they would check every bag during non-rush hours.

“It would take a long time and would cause too much trouble for passengers if all the bags were to be checked,” a spokesman from the metro law enforcement bureau told the Global Times yesterday.

The Shanghai Morning News reported that passengers who refuse security checks and insist on entering the station will be fined from 200 yuan to 500 yuan ($29.3 to $73.3), facing five to ten days in police custody if the situation is serious.

Many passengers consider the check unnecessary. “There is no need for the enhancement of security checks because dangerous objects won’t be found so easily if someone is determined to bring them on the subway,” said Hou Shuqi, a regular on Line 6.

Besides scanning bags, the subway police authorities said that they had taken several other steps to improve security.

As of yesterday, 570 baggage scanners and 3,000 security personnel were put in place in the city’s 280 subway stops. And another 3,000 assistant inspectors, who are currently being trained, will be assigned to the stations later, according to the authorities.

However, some of the assistant inspectors could be seen yesterday and most appeared to be middle-aged Shanghainese residents.

“There are many of us here in the People’s Square station. Our job is to help check the bags, ban people from smoking and divert passenger flow,” said an assistant inspector in a yellow uniform.

Apart from the security staff employed by the subway authorities, police officers and police dogs have also joined in the security fray.

A police officer was seen on patrol with a police dog yesterday in Zhongshan Park Station and said that it was their first working day in the subway.

Despite the lack of follow through, some subway commuters are worried about the new measures.
“Dogs scare me. Plus, I think the subway is already too crowd for dogs,” said a regular commuter on Line 9.