More street-level checkpoints and extensive searches of individuals - especially those who have been residents of Beijing for a short time - are among security initiatives police in the capital will take as they look to "nip threats in the bud" during National Day celebrations.

With a little more than a month to go before the Oct 1 festivities in Beijing that will mark the nation's 60th birthday, police have been told to beef up their anti-terror efforts, likely to a higher level than was seen during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu urged police chiefs nationwide late Monday to ensure they would "guard against and relentlessly crack down on sabotage activities carried out by hostile forces from both home and abroad."

"Security is currently our top priority," Xinhua News Agency quoted him as saying.