US protective garment distributed by Hong Kong firm.

The three-day 2009 International Equipment Exhibition and Technical Seminar of Forensic Science, Narcotics Control and Counter-Terrorism (IEEFNC 2009) hosted by China's Ministry of Public Security in Beijing attracted some 170 exhibitors from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as the US, Germany, Russia, the UK, France and Israel.

Exhibitors displaying a wide range of state-of-the-art technological equipment including the latest protective garment against explosion, microscopes for criminal investigation, and speedy DNA testing kit for use by public security departments.

Serving as an exchange platform for people in the trade, the show provided the opportunity for industry players to gain an in-depth understanding of the progress and major development trends of international criminal science and technology, the latest development in criminal investigation and forensic authentication technology, the most advanced narcotics control and new anti-terrorism technologies.

Ministry of Public Security managers pointed out that the fair's objectives were to promote "exchange, co-operation, mutual benefit and development" with international and domestic suppliers.

The event offered opportunities for product display, order placement, technological exchange and business negotiation under one roof.

A visitor showing great interest in guns.

A US-engineered remote control helicopter for aerial photography.

Officers in charge of police equipment, criminal investigation, narcotics control, anti-terrorism and technology departments in public security organs across the country were there, as were technology experts as well as different client forces.

The organisers pointed out that the exhibition is important for China to promote the development of its criminal investigation, narcotics control and anti-terrorism equipment industry, as well as raising the level of equipment sophistication.

It also gave police forces an opportunity to keep abreast of the latest developments in equipment on the international stage.

Fast growth of police equipment market

Established in 2003, exhibitor EcGuard Co Ltd is a subsidiary of Hong Kong's New World Group. The company has so far invested Rmb100 million in its business.

Commenting on the potential of the Mainland police equipment market, Wang Zheng, Manager of the company's business department, pointed out that surveillance equipment for maintaining social order has a great deal of room for expansion. The company is to devote greater effort in developing surveillance products in various specifications and price levels.

Sales promoter showing a Pocket DVR.

A tie clip-on micro camera produced by EcGuard.

EcGuard launched a new model of its Pocket DVR (a video device for concealed use) - and it was highly visible at the exhibition. According to Wang Zheng, China's public security departments require much more equipment for collecting evidence at crime scenes.

The company's market survey shows demand from public security departments in every provincial capital city for the Pocket DVR is overwhelming. Up to now, the biggest transaction EcGuard has concluded was the sale of 3,500 police video cameras to the Hubei provincial public security office in one order.

The video device is mainly used by traffic police. Hubei Province requires that each front line police officer should have one device in hand.

China has a police force of nearly two million officers, with the majority enforcing law on the front line. Wang Zheng reckons that if each officer has one video camera in hand, the market potential is huge.

EcGuard has set up four branch companies on the Mainland in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Guangzhou. It has also opened 26 offices across the country.

Its major clients are institutions which perform public security functions, and orders normally come in the form of group purchase. Wang Zheng said from 2003 to 2006 the company was at the product R&D stage, with sales hovering at a few million yuan a year.

But since 2008, business has grown rapidly. Sales have more than doubled in the past few years and the company is positive about prospects.

Wang Zheng said the increased demand is mainly due to China's current social environment. At present the government attaches great importance to social stability, especially following the onslaught of the financial crisis when factors causing social instability tend to be aggravated.

Foreign companies in the China market

Although police equipment exhibitions have been held in Beijing before, many foreign enterprises only exhibit at the IEEFNC.

The group pavilion for the SSI Group.

Lie detector on display at the show.

Five companies under Germany's SSI Group set up a group pavilion at the exhibition displaying their respective products. The success of the Beijing Olympics last year has revealed to the world the potential of the China market and the purchasing power of Chinese consumers.

According to Mr Ding, a business representative with the SSI Group, companies mainly hoped to test the water in the China market and, taking advantage of participating in the exhibition, had come to gain some knowledge of the market.

Ding said police equipment users in China are by no means unfamiliar with advanced products. The Beijing Olympics last year has not only widened the horizon of Chinese users but has also encouraged the trend to replace and update police equipment on a large scale.

This, in turn, has generated opportunities for European suppliers. It explains why members of the group brought along their latest products.

Narcotics and explosives detection and testing devices.

Major exhibits showcased by Israeli company Scent Detection Technologies (SDT) included narcotics detection and testing equipment. According to Shalom, the company's Vice President of Global Business, the China market is currently one of the most important in the world. "To my knowledge, we are not the only company entering China, there are other players as well," he said.

"We broke into the China market last year during the Olympics, when our products were used at Terminal 3 of the Beijing Capital International Airport to detect narcotics and explosives and carry out tests," Shalom explained.

He added: "since our products entered China during the Olympics, sales on the China market have been satisfactory. While it is inconvenient [for me] to disclose actual figures, [I can say that] at present many security organs in China are being trained by us and using our products. At this exhibition, our products have also attracted the attention of many Chinese consumer units, with some of them expressing their intent [to buy]."

Shalom reckoned that the Mainland's police equipment market was growing. He believed that more and more European, American and Israeli enterprises would arrive in China to invest in setting up production lines.

Like other countries, China was also facing threats of terrorist attacks, be that from explosives or narcotics.

Anti-terrorism equipment plays an important role.

Not many foreign police equipment production enterprises have set up factories on the Mainland. Most foreign products are sold through Mainland or Hong Kong agents. Sky Wisdom International (Hong Kong) Co Ltd, an agent for US-made products, was a bright spot at the exhibition.

According to Tianhai Wujin, Chairman, the American protective garment which the company was distributing was of the highest technological content.

Tianhai said his company originally dealt in pharmaceuticals. But then he discovered that as the international situation changes, the huge potential of China's police equipment market is far greater than they expected.

He pointed out that during the exhibition, the police authorities in Beijing, Guangzhou, Xinjiang and Tibet showed great interest in the company's products. On the prospects of the Mainland market, he remarked that as China opens to the outside world, the number of large scale international events hosted in the country would continue to rise.

from special correspondent Zhen Xueyuan, Beijing