The first police helicopter in Gansu province was put into service on June 9, and started patrolling over the urban area of Lanzhou, capital of Gansu.

The 5-seat Enstrom 480B helicopter are going to be used for anti-terrorist operations, emergency rescue, investigation and control and air patrol during important events, according to Lanzhou public security bureau.

The public security authorities selected a group of police officers and trained them to become professional air security crew.

The crew will fulfill important duties such as monitoring and controlling public order during the upcoming 2015 Lanzhou International Marathon that will be held on June 13.

The surveillance scope of the new police helicopter is 46,000 square meters, which is 30 times that of a car, substantially facilitating police officers tasks and operations.