Binjiang Police Affairs
Chapter 125 - 108 Xu Sanye’s Macro Perspective

Chapter 125: Chapter 108 Xu Sanye’s Macro Perspective

Xu Sanye received a call from Salted Fish, which gave him some insight into the attitude of the Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau.

Being poor is not shameful, but one must act with integrity.

After dinner, he invited everyone into the reception room and personally made a strong tea filled with tea leaves for Jin Weiguo to help him sober up from the alcohol.

Sister Zhu, aware that he had something to discuss, habitually took out her notebook from her bag.

Seeing the police station chief ready to hold a meeting with the Branch Captain from the City Bureau, the Deputy Director of the Office of the Port Supervision Bureau, and the Commander of the Law Enforcement Team of the Port Supervision Bureau, and even assign them tasks, Li Weiguo and Old Zhang, as the Yanjiang Police Station instructor and deputy chief, felt truly proud.

"Director Jin, Director Zhu, Salted Fish just called me and first of all, thank you for your support towards our police work."

"It’s nothing to thank for, we’re all here for work."

Jin Weiguo had just gone to the restroom and was hit by the biting cold wind; now, having drunk some strong tea, he felt much more awake.

Zhu Chunmiao nodded smilingly, agreeing with Jin Weiguo’s words.

Xu Sanye silently admired this female comrade; although her position and administrative level in the Port Supervision Bureau were higher than Jin Weiguo’s and she could even make decisions on behalf of the bureau’s leadership, she humbly helped establish Jin Weiguo’s authority as the Commander, making those unaware think she was just an ordinary staff member.

Electricity bills, phone bills, and driver’s salaries amounted to significant expenses. Hearing the Director’s tone, it seemed there was now a solution, and Li Weiguo was pleased, smiling as he offered cigarettes to Scholar Yu and Jin Weiguo.

Old Zhang, not aware of these matters, was completely puzzled.

"I was transferred to Bailong Port last July, or rather, the July of the previous year, as the chief of Yanjiang Police Station. I had always worked onshore and was not very familiar with maritime traffic safety management. But through these months of work, I believe that to maintain water traffic safety, the first step is to manage water safety well."

Xu Sanye looked around at everyone and continued: "The work and living environment on ships are unique; many crew members were born on ships and have neither homes nor land back in their hometowns.

I’ve seen many ’husband and wife boats’, where the man pilots the ship and the woman cooks, with possibly less than ten days spent ashore in a year, without distinguishing between day and night, always on watch even when anchored.

days a year, more than 300 days drifting on the river, long deprived of contact with relatives and friends ashore, makes them socially isolated and gradually distant from family and friends, a lonely inner world.

Moreover, some areas on the river and inland waters have many water bandits, making it very difficult for them to earn money. If the police cannot protect their personal and property safety, they must protect themselves.

Over time, the local customs on the water will become increasingly fierce. People on the ships, especially the young, will become bolder and fiercer. These are both public security risks and a serious challenge to the management of water traffic safety."

Before coming here, the bureau leadership repeatedly instructed to show respect to this police station chief.

Zhu Chunmiao initially thought he was a rough man but realized he was both articulate and insightful.

As an experienced navigator, Jin Weiguo felt deeply about Xu Sanye’s words, thinking it was indeed difficult to manage people on ships.

Scholar Yu thought Xu Sanye was trying to display authority over the two from the Port Supervision Bureau, planning to smooth things over if he went too far in his remarks.

"Director Jin, Director Zhu, considering the complex situation on the river, I have a few ideas."

"Director Xu, please go ahead, we’re listening."

"Firstly, we need to enhance security management. I’m not embarrassed to admit that before you came, it was like trying to make bricks without straw for us. Now that you are here, I feel reassured. As long as we have financial support, we can maintain good order on the waters and in turn help you manage water traffic safety."

Jin Weiguo, hesitant to speak about finances, instinctively looked at Zhu Chunmiao.

Zhu Chunmiao quickly smiled and said, "Director Xu, just tell us what you need. We are all here for work, and as long as our Port Supervision Bureau can do it, we will definitely ensure it’s taken care of."

"Then I will not stand on ceremony with you."

Xu Sanye lit a cigarette and got straight to the point: "In addition to the electricity and phone bills and a salary for one driver, could you also help us cover the salaries for three contract-based police officers?"

Yanjiang Police Station indeed lacked personnel, which is why they had to send out fully equipped officers.

Zhu Chunmiao felt the request was reasonable and asked, "How much is the salary for a contract-based police officer per month?"

"If we recruit within our bureau, the salary is very low, only sixty to seventy yuan a month, which can hardly retain anyone. Water police work is different from land-based police work, maintaining water security is not only tough and dangerous but also requires versatile skills."

Xu Sanye took several puffs of his cigarette and continued, "So either we don’t recruit, or if we recruit, we must pay them equally with the official police officers. There is a one-year probationary period with a salary of fifty-three yuan and five per month, and about one hundred yuan after the probation period."

Investing an additional three to four thousand yuan a year is not a problem for the Port Supervision Bureau.

Compared to funding, Zhu Chunmiao was more concerned about whether people recruited would be effective, curiously asking, "Director Xu, what’s the difference between contract-based police officers and formal police officers?"

Xu Sanye explained, "During the strict law enforcement in 1984, many places had a severe shortage of police officers. Some economically developed areas independently recruited a batch of People’s Police. Like formally staffed police officers, they have police IDs, police badges, and work permits, and have the authority to enforce the law.

But as they were not recruited through organizational or Human Resources Department procedures, they are not included in the national public security staffing and do not have the status of national government staff. Their police status is recognized only within the province, and outside the province, it’s not recognized."

Scholar Yu, who was most familiar with these matters, added, "The contract-based police system was first implemented across the river in Shuzhou City in 1984. They were the first in the country to recruit more than two hundred contract-based police officers that year.

They were assigned to over twenty town police stations, supplementing the lack of grassroots police forces, receiving full affirmation from superiors, and promoted nationwide."

As long as they have a police ID and enforcement authority, that’s sufficient.

Binjiang Port Supervision Bureau’s jurisdiction is all within Jiangnan Province, and there’s no need for cross-province law enforcement.

Zhu Chunmiao thinks that recruiting three contract police officers is not bad either. He asked with a smile, "Director Xu, since these are contract police officers, is the contract signed with your station or with your bureau?"

"In the past, each police station could recruit, and it’s actually the same now, as long as it meets the recruitment requirements and can solve their salary issue, just report to the bureau. But these three contract police officers are not recruited by our station nor by our county bureau, but by Director Yu."

"Me recruiting?"

Scholar Yu thought he heard wrong and looked astonished.

Xu Sanye smiled and nodded slightly: "To be precise, it’s the Water Police Division that is recruiting, Director Yu, I think as long as we can solve the funding issue, this job is not difficult to do, the city bureau leaders should be able to agree."

"Director Xu, don’t joke, we only have one office at the city bureau."

"I am not joking."

Xu Sanye looked at him encouragingly and smiled: "With strong support from the Port Supervision Bureau, it shouldn’t be hard to find a workspace along the river bank. As for law enforcement vessels, you will soon have a fiberglass speedboat, which is totally enough to set up a directly affiliated team."

Li Weiguo was stunned, then quickly realized: "Director Yu, adding our Linghai Team, you will then have two water police stations!"

This is simply a pie falling from the sky...

Scholar Yu felt like he was dreaming and said with an embarrassed face, "But the funding is sponsored to your station by the Port Supervision Bureau."

"The funding is sponsored to maintain the water security management department." Xu Sanye turned to Zhu Chunmiao and asked with a smile, "Director Zhu, isn’t it?"

Setting up a water police station in Binjiang, where the salaries of the police officers are provided by the Port Supervision Bureau, and the office location can be set up in the bureau’s boat storage, what difference does it make from the water police station of the Port Supervision Bureau?

What’s more important is, Director Scholar Yu is very easy to deal with.

Zhu Chunmiao didn’t expect such a big gain and said happily: "Director Xu is right, as long as it helps strengthen water security management, whoever gets the funding sponsorship doesn’t matter."

Director Scholar Yu wasn’t clear about what Xu Sanye was planning and did not want to overstep, cautiously saying: "Director Xu, your side is also short of people."

"We are indeed short of people here, but we cannot increase more."

"Why."

"Security management pressure on the land is equally great, brother stations are even shorter on people than us, if we recruit more, how would others view it, and how would the bureau manage the work?"

Xu Sanye took a deep breath and continued: "We either don’t recruit at all, but once we recruit, we have to retain people. I’m paying the contract police officers salaries of regular officers here, other stations’ contract police officers would definitely have thoughts, how would the bureau manage such a team?

If you recruit, these problems don’t exist. The people recruited will be contract police officers of the city bureau and will have to work on the river in deadly cold winters and blisteringly hot summers. There aren’t many contract police officers in the city bureau to begin with, so they probably won’t be jealous."

I will find funding myself to recruit and strengthen the force of both the Water Security Police Team and the Water Police Division. The bureau leaders will surely support...

If it really gets going, it would be a directly affiliated team.

Scholar Yu grew more excited as he thought about it, but still said with some embarrassment: "I’ll go back and work things out. The bureau leaders should agree, but I’m not very good at leading troops or have much energy to manage."

"I can help you recruit people, ensuring all are elite forces. After recruitment, I will take responsibility for training them. Once they are combat-ready, they can then be sent to Binjiang. Chen Zikun is a good young fellow, you could totally train him to be the team leader."

Xu Sanye looked back at Director Jin, Li Weiguo, and others around and said very seriously and sincerely: "Comrades, to manage Jiangriver’s security well, just relying on our Linghai alone is not enough. Thinking of assisting the Port Supervision in maintaining water traffic safety, relying on our Linghai alone is also insufficient."

Scholar Yu realized he was resolute in fighting against river piracy and, thinking that as the head of the Water Police Department he should have a broad vision, no longer hesitated and decisively said:

"I will handle the city bureau’s part, but recruiting only three contract police officers is not enough. Once Manager Wu’s sponsored speedboat arrives, the directly affiliated team will need drivers too."

"Director Zhu, what do you think?"

"No problem."

"What about Binjiang’s office and case handling locations? If you guys can’t solve that, I’ll go communicate and coordinate with the Binjiang Port Police Station."

"There’s no need to look for Binjiang Port Police Station, we can definitely solve it!"

"Alright, the first item is settled then."

Xu Sanye patted the table, immediately changing the topic: "The second item, precisely, is a suggestion. Whether it’s our police or your port supervision, in the future law enforcement process, we must as much as possible be empathetic.

Life on the boats is very hard for those earning money, we need to enforce the law but also consider the relationship between officials and the populace. I suggest that wherever criticism and education are possible, we should prioritize that approach."

Director Jin knew this was meant for him, he hurriedly raised his head: "Yes, we will pay attention in the future."

"Also, now it should be three units, living and working together, interacting every day, it’s hard to say if disputes might occur.

I suggest strengthening system building, like a few of us leaders sittinguyen down every week to meet and communicate, or like holding a morning meeting each day to plan and deploy the work ahead."

Xu Sanye smiled again and looked back at Scholar Yu, "Director Yu, you are an expert in this area, what do you think?"

Scholar Yu replied without hesitation: "It’s indeed very necessary. We need to consider the duty system, joint enforcement standard procedures, and even how to divide the sanitation responsibilities. We could even establish a temporary party branch to engage in organizational activities every month."