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Police chiefs listen to people's complaints
Lu Hongli felt somewhat relieved after he talked face-to-face with a leading Beijing police officer yesterday about an unsolved case that has tortured him for more than a year. Lu, whose right eye was beaten nearly to blindness by several people who are still on the run, came to the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau for help. His story was one of many that public security bureau directors and their deputies heard across China yesterday on Open House Day. Bureau Deputy Director Lu Shimin met Lu Hongli and listened to his complaint carefully. The chief also asked Zhang Weigang, head of the Haidian District sub-bureau, to participate in the talk. Lu Hongli said he was beaten black and blue by several security guards at a discotheque in April 2004. When he was released by the hospital several weeks later, he learnt that the people who beat him had already fled the area and the local police had made no progress in the investigation. "I felt the officers at the police station did not make enough efforts in solving my case," Lu, who can barely see the top line of an eye chart with his right eye, told the two police chiefs. "They did not inform me about any developments, and I had phoned or visited the station frequently. The worst thing is that the deputy head of the police station who was in charge of my case moved to a new post, (and) it seemed that he had not handed my case over to other officers." After hearing the story, Zhang apologized, saying: "I think the case could have been solved earlier if our police officers had paid enough attention." Lu Shimin also expressed regrets to Lu Hongli and asked Zhang himself to oversee the investigation. "I really appreciate having had the chance to talk with leading police officials face to face and get their help," Lu Hongli said afterwards. Although the Ministry of Public Security declared yesterday as the day for residents to air their complaints to senior officials, local police have been offering the public chances to speak out throughout the past three months. Shanghai Local residents thronged to the Shanghai Museum of Public Security to file their complaints. As a result, the bureau rented an auto exhibition hall next door to hold all the petitioners. People were asked to first register their names, identity cards and telephone numbers and wait in another hall until the complaints were categorized. After that, nine senior officials including Director Wu Zhiming met the petitioners. Rows broke out amidst the crowd of 600 over queue jumping, trying to register sooner. A middle-aged woman surnamed Ni who was registered as the 40th visitor arrived at the place at 2 am to complain about her residence permit. "I bought a house in Shanghai several years ago and got a 'blue-stamped residence card' that was supposed to be exchanged for a permanent Shanghai residence card in five years," she said. "But the policy was later altered, and I didn't get the permanent residence card." An officer who tried to maintain order said the officials would not be able to meet all of them in one day, "but since their names are registered, we will arrange meetings with them at the earliest possible time." Yang Ye, an official from the bureau, appealed to the public not to rush to complain in the first few days since the public petition reception will last until September 6. "What's more, the bureau sends officials to meet petitioners every Thursday," she said. "We started doing that years ago." Guangzhou Chen Wangcheng was one of the many Guangzhou residents who had an interview with Liang Guoju, director of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau, and other senior police officers yesterday. Chen was unhappy with the police patrolling in his residential area because he has been robbed of his mobile phone twice within three months this year. Liang took Chen's complaint and promised to take further steps to fight street crime. Chen said he believed Guangdong police would keep to their commitment and hoped the public security chiefs would be able to meet local residents and listen to their complaints every month. Liang has also promised to make police work more transparent in the coming months. Poor social order, extorting a confession by torture and the poor service from some public security departments were the major complaints from local residents in Guangdong. Provincial police said they had solved 7,234 cases this year up until Monday, thanks to tips from local residents and recovered 4.07 million yuan (US$502,000) worth of property. With 130,000 officers, Guangdong's police force is the largest in the country.
(China Daily 08/19/2005 page3)
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