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Later, Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting on the implementation of a comprehensive transport security programme. The programme, adopted by the Government last year, stipulates that the most vulnerable transport facilities must be equipped with special equipment and security systems by March 31, 2011.

A pilot project is currently underway at the Okhotny Ryad metro station. Together with the first stage of its implementation, 50 other Moscow metro stations will be equipped with detection equipment and video control systems.

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Excerpt from speech at meeting on implementing transport security programme

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: In March of last year, I signed an executive order on developing an integrated public transport security system. Part of the work has been fulfilled, another part should be completed by March 31, 2011, and another part is to be finished by January 1, 2014.

I would like to draw everyone’s attention to the fact that in accordance with this executive order, the most vulnerable transport infrastructure facilities and means of transport are to be equipped with special technical tools and devices that will mitigate their vulnerability to external forces by March 31 of this year.

Thus, on March 31, we will have a meeting in order to verify how this work has been carried out. We will bring together all of our colleagues present here, as well as some others.

Now, with regard to some of the things we just saw in the metro. The security system is certainly good in and of itself, but it certainly needs to be further improved and adjusted. The pilot mode should be changed to test mode, and then the test mode should become the normal order of operation. But that security system must be permanently improved.

Naturally, the work related to detection of destructive substances is more complicated, but I hope that in this regard, all the works that are being done and that should be done will be aimed at resolving the problem. These are special issues, but they are very important ones, and the entire world is dealing with them.

There is one other matter that we have discussed: the work of canine services. Mr Nurgaliyev [Minister of the Interior], you are to review options for building up this service within the Ministry of the Interior. Moscow is a large city, and we have other large cities in our country. So please consider allocating additional resources to this service and see how its operation could be organised in Moscow and in other major cities.