Sometimes there is a five-cent bill in the passenger's bag, sometimes a ten-dollar bill is stacked with a thousand, and the thief has no bottom in his heart before reaching out, and the police don't know the amount when they shoot.
"No matter how much money it is, I'm going to have to catch him." Yan Danhua, a 58-year-old police officer, said that it is the duty of the police to recover the losses of the people.
When she was young, just in time for the reform and opening up, buses were flowing on the roads of Beijing, people were full of cash, and thefts were happening from time to time. She worked for two years as an anti-pickpocketer, and it was almost the hardest period since she became a police officer: walking thirty or forty kilometers every day, looking for thieves, following thieves, catching thieves, "the soles of her shoes are all leaking." ”
Under the ground, with the construction of the city, more than 20 tracks continue to grow, which also brings a variety of problems: "black cars" and "black motorcycles" along the line, and the large flow of people at stations near large communities, all of which are potential safety hazards. Li Xiangyu, a new generation of policemen, has thought of a lot of ways to rely on scientific and technological means and the combination of various forces to "prevent those things that threaten public safety from happening." ”
Nowadays, society is evolving, the way people pay has changed, there is less cash in their pockets, and thefts are decreasing. There are fewer "thrilling" things on the bus and subway, and more "trivial" things: losing the bag on your back, getting separated from your family, or having a dispute with the passengers next to you, has become a more common police situation.
But in Yan Danhua's view, there is no difference between helping the masses find people and things and catching thieves to save losses, "they are all for the people." We, the public transport police, have always been supporting everyone's safety. ”
Police officer Yan Danhua
"I can't let her go"
It may be hard for today's young people to imagine that pickpocketing on buses was a thorny problem in the last century.
At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Beijing had 164 buses and 11 operating routes, with a daily passenger volume of about 80,000. After the reform and opening up, in 1983, there were more than 4,000 buses in Beijing, more than 140 operating routes, and an average daily passenger volume of about 7 million passengers. With the massive increase in the floating population, pickpocketing has also increased.
Yan Danhua remembered that the buses at that time were crowded and airtight. People slowly figured out a way to squeeze into the car: as soon as the door opened, as long as the two big nuts under the door were stepped on, the door could not be closed, and the car could be guaranteed to get in the car. But sometimes even if you squeeze in, you can be squeezed down after a few seconds. Thieves often see when this chaos is in full swing.
To catch a thief is a technical job. Find out first, then track, and then arrest people, no link can go wrong. Unlike spacious shopping malls, buses are dimly lit and crowded, and people's movements are always hidden, revealing only their eyes – before they start, thieves have to look for targets and targets, determine whether their belongings are in their trouser pockets or backpacks, and their eyes are often in different directions than ordinary passengers. This is what the scouts who catch the thieves rely on to lock down the pickpockets.
Before the burglars attacked, plainclothes detectives had to follow all the time, and they had to hide themselves. Some thieves have a strong sense of anti-investigation, walking from one station to another, and suddenly turning around and walking back halfway, if the investigators who follow behind are stunned, they will be easily exposed. After a long time, the investigator began to observe each thief, and then found the blind spot of the vision, and then silently followed, while cooperating with his partner to relay the track.
Catching thieves pays attention to "seizing both stolen goods". The highest level recognized by the investigator is the moment the thief reaches into someone's trouser pocket, and reaches out to cover it. Of course, many times, the situation is not so ideal, but the time to arrest the person must not be too late, otherwise the stolen goods may have been thrown away or transferred to the accomplices.
This profession requires a high quality of investigators. In 1989, after graduating from university, Yan Danhua joined the public security, and as a rare high-achieving student of that era, she was assigned to the political department of the Public Transport Safety and Security Corps (hereinafter referred to as the "Bus Corps") of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. Four years later, she had an impulse in her heart: to go to the front line of anti-pickpocketing and be a "civil and military" scout.
The historical Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Public Transport Branch (now integrated with the former Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau Subway Branch to form a bus corps)
At that time, there were not many female anti-pickpocket investigators, and there were only two Yan Danhua. There are no teaching materials in this industry, and it all depends on the master to lead and accumulate experience. At first, the master always locked the thief first and asked Yan Danhua to observe carefully. She was worried: "What if the other party finds out?" The master didn't pay much attention: "If you find it, you will look for (other thieves)." "Master wanted her to observe the thief's demeanor, methods, and characteristics.
At the beginning, Yan Danhua looked at everyone like a thief, and later felt that everyone was not. Another newcomer was also frustrated: "I'm not going to look for thieves." "The captain of the anti-pickpocketing brigade came up with an idea: take the bus all the time, and if you sit down, you will be arrested. Later, the investigator sat in the car for more than two months, and his eyes slowly trained into a sieve, and finally screened out the thief.
"Actually, there are more experienced scouts, they are very good at observing people." Yan Danhua said that some experienced investigators know which county the other party is from as long as the person on the other side opens their mouth.
But to reach such a level, they first had to endure extraordinary hardship and boredom. It is common to walk thirty or forty kilometers a day, and although there is a partner, you can't walk together or talk. They have to arrive at the station before the first train departs, often after 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, and take a few bites of food at noon before returning home in the evening. Some investigators often come home in the middle of the night, live in a simple building, and the sound insulation is poor, and for fear of disturbing the rest of the neighbors, he will take off his shoes and creep upstairs.
One afternoon, Yan Danhua was so tired that she wanted to go back to the unit, and the master told her: Don't worry, you have to go to Yongdingmen to "pick up the train" at night - after the train arrives at the station, many passengers carry large bags and small bags to squeeze the bus to leave, which is the time when pickpocketing is high.
Covering the thief's hand, shouting "don't move", and handcuffing the thief are rare highlight moments. More often than not, the scouts searched in silence in circles and circles. Sometimes there is no harvest in one day, sometimes there is no harvest in a month. Sometimes, the thief spotted the police a second before he struck and retracted his hand.
The blisters on each scout's feet are layered on top of each other, and six or seven pairs of shoes can be broken in a year. After doing this for a long time, their hearts are not good: after locking the thief, during the time when waiting for the other party to attack, people are always highly excited and vigilant, and when they succeed in catching the thief, they suddenly relax again.
There are also many dangers. Every time he stretched out his hand, the investigator often did not know whether the other party was carrying any weapon or not. But Yan Danhua is not afraid of this, "There is nothing to hesitate, he is a thief, I have to arrest him, this is my duty." I can't really let him go. ”
Just like they don't know how dangerous a thief is, when they make a move, the investigators don't know how much money the people have been stolen, whether it's a box of matches, a box of cigarettes, a mobile phone, or a necklace worth thousands of dollars. But the determination to catch the thief has nothing to do with these specific numbers, it has to do with the mission.
Once, Yan Danhua and his partner caught the thief, rushed from the car to the car, came from the road to the middle of the road, and finally subdued the thief. Despaired, everyone opened the envelope in the thief's hand, which contained a thin 5-jiao note.
After returning the money to the owner, the feeling of "super happiness" in my heart has nothing to do with those values. In the face of the overflowing thanks, as well as the pair of rough hands that clenched tightly, Yan Danhua always felt a simple happiness.
Safety on the track
Underneath the city, the tracks also grow out like leaf veins.
Bao Feng, 59, lived in Xinjiekou when he was a child. When he was in middle school, people demolished the city wall and built the subway at Deshengmen, and he watched the subway line be built. In 1987, he joined the public security team and was assigned to the then Metro Public Security Bureau.
In the morning, he had to stand at the Fuxingmen station to maintain order. People came here from two sides of the transfer, and they couldn't be blocked on both sides, and he waved his hand and shouted "Everyone go inside". It was observed that he waved his hand 112 times in 5 minutes.
There is a large flow of people at the transfer station, people passing by on the way up and down, and someone is wearing wired headphones to listen to songs, and suddenly there is no sound in their ears, only to find that the mobile phone in their pocket is missing. Later, Bao Feng discussed with the subway operator to pull a separation belt in the middle of the flow of people, "After the diversion, it is relatively more difficult for thieves to steal things." ”
Bao Feng used a series of security management methods to avoid pickpocketing and other illegal acts. The subway extends in all directions, the mobility of personnel is large, and patrol prevention and control is also a key work content. When he encounters someone with a suspicious appearance, he will always go over and ask the other party to show his ID.
On the occasion of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in order to ensure the safety of the event, with the approval of the State Council, the Beijing Municipal Government innovatively promoted the implementation of the subway security system. This is the first time in the world that large-scale security checks have been implemented in a city metro network. Since then, the security equipment has also been continuously upgraded and improved.
But with the development of society, many new problems have begun to emerge.
Li Xiangyu, 39 years old this year, graduated from the China Criminal Police Academy and went to the Junbo Station Police Station to crack down on the case-handling team. It was 2009, just after the Olympics, and many people flocked to Beijing, which was full of opportunities and energy. "One prominent problem is the 'black Mo' near Beijing West Railway Station." Li Xiangyu remembers that at that time, the nearest subway station to Beijing West Railway Station was the Military Museum Station, which was two or three kilometers away, and many passengers to and from the West Railway Station were transferred to buses or walked at this station, but neither of these two ways was convenient. ”
Some stations welcome a lot of traffic during the holidays, but due to the early construction and small space, it is easy to be dangerous. Tiantongyuan in Changping has become the largest community in Asia, but there is only one subway station nearby, and people have to wait in line several times every morning to get on the bus, posing a safety hazard.
Fortunately, these problems are slowly being resolved.
In 2014, Beijing opened four new subway lines in one go: the second phase of Line 6, the eastern section of Line 7, Line 14 and the western section of Line 15, relieving the pressure on many stations in the past. In addition, through unremitting persuasion and rectification, by 2019, chaos such as small advertisements in the subway has been completely controlled.
Police officer Li Xiangyu (right)
In recent years, new subway lines have been added every year, but the police force cannot always increase accordingly. How to ensure the safety of passengers is a problem that Li Xiangyu has been thinking about.
"By technology." He has always been interested in and trusted in technology. The use of various scientific and technological equipment not only liberates manpower, but also improves the efficiency of support. He also summed up a number of techniques to combat illegal activities such as money borrowing fraud in the subway. In 2021, he relied on these techniques to win the Excellence Award in the scientific and technological innovation competition held by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Nowadays, the concept of community governance is also used in the subway. The bus corps has built and improved the collaborative and linkage work pattern of police, enterprises and localities, and the "police", "enterprises" and "localities" have joined forces to ensure rail safety.
"'Police' is the public security, 'enterprise' is the subway enterprise, specifically the security inspectors and station attendants of each station, and the 'land' is the territory, that is, the street government where the subway station is located, including some residents and other social forces. The subway is not isolated, and governance also requires a systematic and integrated approach. Li Xiangyu explained.
Some responsible passengers have also been developed into volunteers. Some people acted bravely to stop the fight; Some people give CPR to people who faint, and sugar and water to people with low blood sugar; After the uncle retired, he volunteered to show people the way in the subway station for several years.
They are all contributing to the safety of public transport. Today, they are called "Jingchengke" by the bus police and have become a relatively mature volunteer service brand.
Peace in the trivial
By the end of 2023, Beijing has 27 subway lines, 490 subway stations, and more than 1,200 regular bus lines.
Now, the jurisdiction of the bus corps has also changed, from the original bus and subway, to six areas: bus, subway, taxi, key station area, long-distance passenger transport, and rail construction sites.
The police situation is also changing. There are no major vicious cases, and the change in payment methods has led to fewer and fewer pickpocketing, and most of the requests for help are used: the child or the elderly are lost, the computer and wallet do not know where to go, or the passenger next to him is accidentally stepped on, and the other party begins to be unforgiving.
"No matter what happens, the police are 'small things' and will use all means to help solve the problem." Li Xiangyu said.
Once, a passenger got off the bus and found that he had lost his bag, and several stations began to search for it at the same time, and the item was returned to its original owner in less than half an hour. On the night of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, someone lost the new bracelet he bought for his family, and the police did not have time to eat the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, so they helped the owner find it overnight.
This summer, a father and son who came to Beijing to work quarreled, and the son ran away in a fit of rage. He was not familiar with the road conditions in Beijing and did not bring a mobile phone, so his father hurriedly called the police. The police drove the car, along the road he might have walked, one intersection after another, from morning to evening, and finally saw a young man on the side of the road who had not eaten or drunk water for a day, and led him back to the construction site.
"Whether it is catching thieves, finding people, or mediating trivial frictions, it is to help the people solve problems, and to ensure that the people travel safely, there is no difference." In Yan Danhua's view, getting on the bus to fight crime and getting off the car to serve the people is the same ultimate purpose, "There is peace in the trivialities, maybe I haven't done anything vigorous in my life, but I will do whatever the masses need me to do, that's it." ”
Yan Danhua majored in Chinese at university, and before entering the industry, she had no concept of the police profession. Over the past decades, she has seen the pursuit of this career by a group of outstanding police officers around her, and was inspired by their determination to "catch a few more thieves and recover some losses for the people".
Eleven years ago, she was transferred to the Wulu Juzhan Police Station, at first, this work environment that requires frequent communication with people every day made her a little uncomfortable, but she persevered little by little, "The more I work in this profession, the more I dedicate myself." ”
Li Xiangyu has a similar feeling. When he was admitted to the China Criminal Police College and majored in criminal investigation, his classmates said that he didn't look like a policeman, because his appearance was too gentle and he didn't speak impatiently.
After working in the bus corps for a long time, he loves it, "being able to face all kinds of things every day." "He also has patience for the little things.
The police of the bus corps communicate with the public security patrol officers
Li Xiangyu has participated in the preparation of many police stations along the subway. Together with two or three colleagues, relying on a pen, a piece of paper, a computer, and a desk, I helped a young team develop and take shape. Now, he works as a political commissar at the Dongzhimen Station Police Station.
This is a police station with a heavy mission. Metro Line 2, where Dongzhimen Station is located, passes through the core area of Dongcheng District, and Gulou Street Station, Yonghegong Station and Dongshishitiao Station, which are under high crowd pressure, are all under the jurisdiction of the police station.
They are also responsible for several stations on the Capital Airport Line. The point guarded by the police is like a steamer in summer, which can reach more than 40 degrees Celsius, and the winter is bitterly cold. But the police never complained.
"Now, the sense of responsibility and mission is getting stronger and stronger." Li Xiangyu thought that he must lead this team well. In 2022, he was admitted to the Chinese People's Public Security University for a master's degree in policing to study public security management. "I want to learn some new knowledge and theories to improve the sense of identity of the police in this job. After all, in the subway, the people's police, auxiliary police, and security inspectors are responsible for the safety of passengers, and the responsibility is very great to ensure the safety of thousands of people. ”
Over the years, Yan Danhua has seen such fresh blood injected into the team, bringing new methods and experiences, and also seeing the continuous expansion and growth of Beijing's subway and bus lines, and the improvement of passengers' living standards little by little.
But her wishes have never changed. She always hoped that everyone could go to work in peace, go home happily, and not get separated from the children in the crowd, and not leave their notebooks and wallets in the carriage.
"But if you lose something, I hope I'm there, when you have a dispute, I'm here, if you have a problem asking for help, I'm here. It may not be possible to solve all problems, but I will do my best and I will be here to help you. Yan Danhua said.
Source: Beijing Bus Corps, Beijing News