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Motorbike Police Women Patrolling Downtown

2023-05-30ZhengMing,reportingbyWangWei

现代世界警察 2023年3期

Zheng Ming, reporting by Wang Wei

In September 2021, the No. 1 Female Motorbike Police Brigade was established under the leadership of the Traffic Police Detachment of the Public Security Bureau of Ningde City, Fujian Province. Atop their motorbikes, its members have been undertaking a range of tasks ever since, including patrolling main roads in the downtown area, warning against traffic violations, providing security for schools, and promoting traffic safety awareness, while also handling traffic management at Xianfeng Junction and the roads nearby—the brigade has been a vital addition to the citys police force.

Since its inception, the brigade has followed the principles of "flexibility, practicality, and creativity" and worked hard to publicize traffic rules, support businesses, keep students safe, and help those in need. It has struck a balance between supervising and punishing to keep traffic flows smooth; it has implemented an innovative mechanism integrating the autonomy and agency of schools and families to better protect pupils; it has approached law enforcement with warmth and approachability to improve the publics sense of security.

Flexibility in Law Enforcement and Precision in Traffic Control

The brigade has jurisdiction over Xianfeng Junction, a bustling area in the city center where Xianfeng Road and Ningchuan Road meet. At the heart of a vibrant business hub, composed of a Wanda Plaza shopping mall, a Baoxin Center, and a Walmart, the intersection has heavy traffic flows and a complex transit situation. Considering these factors, the unit has prioritized issuing warnings against risky behaviors such as riding helmetless on motorcycles, driving in the wrong lanes, and running red lights. Whenever congestion occurs, the brigade springs into action to not only direct traffic, but also reduce drivers' restlessness.

To tackle the traffic problems in the city center, the team has identified traffic hotspots and introduced a segmented-responsibility mechanism for traffic management. It has developed a flexible approach to law enforcement, giving more weight to warnings and educating than strigent penalties. It has expanded its presence on the road via intensive patrolling, and improved traffic efficiency by thwarting many minor violations.

On average, each officer covers a patrol distance of 60 kilometers and issues over 300 warnings each day and  proactively identifies and preemptively addresses more than 100 cases, thereby beefing up the patrol network in the city center, enhancing the efficiency of traffic management, and improving the relationship between the police and the public.

Practicality to Bring Convenience to People and Businesses

The unit has also worked with businesses, providing both public and private enterprises with tailor-made publicity packages for traffic safety. This has included some food delivery companies, through which the brigade hopes to  promote traffic safety awareness, create a favorable business climate, and empower companies and the public.

The team also helps with security at  schools such as the Experimental Primary School of Jiaocheng District, the South City Primary School, and the Primary School Affiliated with Ningde Normal University (Old Campus). In controlling traffic and directing parking cars, the female officers have worked closely with the schools and parent volunteers to substantially improve traffic safety and pedestrian mobility. This "Neighborhood Watch" initiative—engaging the police, the schools, the families, and the motorbike brigade—has secured smooth traffic flow and reliably safe passage for both students and teachers, and has therefore received high acclaim from all parties.

On routine patrol, the team always comes to the aid of those who are, for example, lost, rushing to hospital in emergencies, or need roadside assistance. It has strived to identify and address potential traffic hazards in a timely manner as the public expects. By working on the front-line of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and helping to build Ningde into a "national model city," it has proved itself a vital supplementary part of the police force, assuming the tasks of ensuring smooth traffic flow, maintaining public order, and guarding against lapses in effective management.

Just this year, the unit has facilitated the expedited settlement of over 50 traffic accidents, helped out 50 individuals in need, rescued 12 injured victims, and resolved nearly 100 other problems.

Creativity in Work and Publicity

The brigade has formed a publicity squad called the "Ningchuan Stars" ,which has proved extremely creative in its promotional efforts. Besides going door-to-door publicizing traffic rules, it has set up a Help Center and used "Kind Reminder" cards to inform drivers of their illegal parking. Its popular "immersive scenarios" have given the public an opportunity to experience or relive breaches of traffic rules, and helped them gain better understanding of road safety principles in a more down-to-earth way.

The Neighborhood Watch initiative is another illustration of the brigade's creativity. The brigade has rolled out a fun gymnastic routine for primary school students to learn traffic rules while doing physical exercises; it has worked with schools to organize contests and other campus activities to promote traffic safety, such as "Flash Dances" "Lectures on Safe Growth" and "Talks on How to Care for Left-behind Children". Thanks to its diversified and coordinated publicity efforts, the brigade has enhanced safety consciousness of both teachers and students.

In response to the central governments reform proposals to "streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulations, and strengthen services", the brigade has committed itself to promoting the "fast-track settlement of traffic accidents" in order to bring more convenience to the public.

(Translated by Chen Xiaoying, School of Foreign Languages, Beijing Forestry University)