Police experience helps environmental agency head

An experienced former police officer has headed the environmental watchdog in Zigong, Sichuan province, for more than three years and is trying to give environmental protection work more bite.

"The enforcement teams are not strong enough to conduct inspections and other related tasks," said Xu Mingyuan, head of the city's Environmental Protection Bureau since 2012.

On one occasion a company was exposed for discharging pollutants illegally, and was fined 110,000 yuan ($17,280). But the official document for the case has fewer than 50 words, not enough to provide solid proof, he said.