Keeping peace in our cities

Zhang Yuchen, 13, Ningbo
I like watching TV shows that tell police stories, like Ordinary Greatness. I respect the police since they keep us safe.

Wu Haoyuan, 33, Beijing
I’ve been working as a policeman for 12 years. I am now the leader of the crime-fighting team at the Sanlitun police station in Beijing.

Zhang: What’s a typical day for a police officer like?
Wu: As a police officer who directly faces the community, we patrol our district every day. We have vans we use as mobile patrol stations, some of which are equipped with police dogs. We sometimes wear plain clothes and sometimes drive police cars with police sirens flashing to give the public a sense of security. It lets them know they are being taken care of.
Sanlitun is a busy district. We deal with 50 to 90 reported cases every day. Staying up late is part of the job. Every four days, each police officer here gets a 24-hour duty. If big events or activities are taking place, we may stay at the dormitory of our police station for weeks without returning home. Sometimes we have business trips to other cities, usually at short notice, to collect evidence of crimes or arrest suspects.

Zhang: How can I become a police officer?
Wu: There are mainly three ways – go to police schools or vocational colleges, take the civil service exam and become a civil servant first, or be transferred to the police system as demobilized soldiers. Each way you need to take the law enforcement qualification exam and get the new police training. The training usually lasts three months, including physical training, shooting, combat training and more.

Zhang: What kinds of cases do you usually get?
Wu: The Sanlitun police station has three teams – a community team, a crime-fighting team and a general command office. The community team usually deals with trivial fights and disputes, theft cases and lost phones. Our crime-fighting team takes care of more severe cases, while the office focuses on the internal and office work like household registration.

Zhang: If I’m not very strong or brave, can I still become a police officer?
Wu: Yes, you can. People of different personalities can find their own positions in the police system. If you are physically strong, you may want to join the Special Weapons and Tactics team. If you’re good at dealing with different people, you might be a good community police officer. If you’re shy but careful, you can do office work.
As for being brave, police officers are not always fearless. Even now, when I face threats or dangerous people, I still get scared. But our sense of responsibility gives us courage to keep going.

By GUI QIAN, 21st Century Teens