Education should have been the last thing on the mind of Xu Jie, now a
39-year-old Beijing police officer - but he ended up with a schoolbag and became
a full-time student at a foreign university.
Six months ago, Xu got a master's degree in international liaison and
communication at the University of Westminster in London after a one-year
course.
"It was tough for me - such an 'old' student - to finish the course in one
year. I got less than six hours of sleep daily," said Xu, deputy head of the
Exit/Entry Administration of Chaoyang District.
Apart from his studies, Xu had a special mission - to exchange ideas with his
British counterparts.
"During my study in London, I visited many police stations and participated
in a number of professional workshops. I exchanged experiences with the local
police on many aspects such as community policing, traffic management and
anti-terrorism.
"I learnt a lot from them. The most important was the way of thinking. In the
past, my only emphasis was on how to maintain public order, but now I realize
that a good cop should feel the pulse of the people to build a harmonious
society," said Xu.
Nine of Xu's colleagues also attended the course which ended in September
2004 - they are the first batch from Beijing to receive language training in
foreign countries as the Chinese capital prepares for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Xu Lijing, a senior official with the Beijing Municipal Public Security
Bureau who is in charge of the training programme, explained why language skills
were so important.
"The world community has two major concerns about the Beijing Games. One is
security, and the other is the language barrier." The bureau launched
language-training programmes in 2001.
"We have selected 133 police officers to receive language training in
countries such as Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada," said Xu Lijing. This
year, a total of 124 Beijing police officers will go abroad for training.
"Meanwhile, we provide on-the-job language training for police, especially
those patrolling the streets and neighbourhood police staff providing services
at the grass-roots level," he added.
Liu Shengli, a translator with the traffic administration authorities and one
of Xu Jie's classmates, said his English has improved a lot after the one-year
course in London.
"What is more important, I made many friends there and learned a lot from the
local police," said Liu.
"For instance, two years ago, the London traffic authorities started levying
a charge on vehicles entering downtown areas to reduce chronic congestion.
"The authorities made an exhaustive survey before deciding on the toll.
Although shopping malls in the downtown area protested at the toll because it
would affect their business, it has proved to be effective as traffic jams have
dropped 30 per cent.
"I think Beijing can learn something from London. I do not mean that we
should introduce the same levies as London did. After all, the traffic
conditions in the two cities are different. But our traffic management
authorities should consider conducting comprehensive surveys and solicit public
opinion before announcing any new policies," said Liu.
Guo Huiqun, a translator in the Public Security Bureau of Dongcheng District,
also a fellow student of Xu and Liu, said she was nervous to speak English when
she arrived in London
"My professor told me: 'Come on. You are a Beijing policewoman. You will meet
a lot of foreigners.' His words encouraged me. Later on, I tried to speak more
and practice really makes perfect."
