CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- How is the daily work of the grassroots police station? In responding to this question, Sun Shuai said with a smile that the reality show “Guarding Jiefangxi Road” was too conservatively.

Some time ago, the Jiangbei Branch of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau posted a video of more than 4 and a half minutes, telling the story of the grassroots policeman from the Dashiba Police Station and delivery man “Xiao Xiong”. In the video, Xiao Xiong, who was often complained by customers, complained against the policeman who intended to deal with the dispute, and threatened to go astray. Finally, he was moved by the policeman’s persuasion and concern, decided to live in a different way, and left a message note and the “best gift” (a bottle of water) to the policeman when passing by the police station.

The video was quickly forwarded in Moments and received more than 6,000 likes and comments after being posted. Some people discussed the warmth of law enforcement in the comments, and some citizens who had been helped by the policeman left a grateful message. The protagonist of the video is Sun Shuai who joined the Jiangbei Branch of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau in 2016 and went through a change of posts from the case investigation police to the community police and then to the back office police. He said that the police cannot save the world, but they can contribute to it.

01“We all want to handle major cases, but we all hope that there will be no major cases”

The jurisdiction of the Dashiba Police Station in Jiangbei District only covers an area of 4.8 square kilometers, but there are many police reports. In the peak of police calling, countless disputes need to be mediated and conflicts need to be resolved. On average, Dashiba Police Station sends out the police for more than 50 times per day, with the highest record being over 100 times per day.

Sun Shuai is not a native of Chongqing, and his hometown is Zhumadian, Henan. After graduating from Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Criminal Investigation in 2016, he worked in finance industry in Shenzhen for a period of time. But he realized that his ambition was beyond finance, so he returned to Chongqing and joined the Jiangbei Branch of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau after passing examination. He fulfilled his dream of being a policeman.

“When I was in school, most of us wanted to be police officers, want to handle major cases, be heroes. It turns out that major cases were rare,” said Sun Shuai. Most policemen of the police station feel a sense of gap at the beginning of their careers. But after adapting to the sense of gap, they will have a deeper understanding of the importance of grassroots policeman: the significance of facing the masses directly on the front line is to resolve conflicts, and solving trivial matters is to avoid major events. Sun Shuai said that although grassroots policemen yearn for major cases and a sense of accomplishment, in fact, no one really wants major cases in their hearts, and people’s safety is their greatest desire.

02“The masses often seek help in the early morning and we have to meddle in their affairs”

Sun Shuai’s WeChat messages are uninterrupted. His messages come from citizens who have reported the case before, help-seekers who have obtained his contact information, and people who Sun Shuai meets during the handling of case and wants to “give a hand”.

In people’s eyes, Sun Shuai seems to have done a lot of “thankless” work. An example is Xiao Xiong, a delivery man mentioned in Moments. “He has complained about you, but you still cheerfully encourage him all day long, without any reply. What’s the point?”

“It’s meaningful. Maybe I can help him.” Sun Shuai said with a smile, and recalled this indissoluble bond with great interest.

In 2023, Sun Shuai, who had just got off the night shift, received his first complaint since he became the policeman before he had time to rest. “I am very surprised, but I want to know what suggestions the masses have for me.” After reading the letter, Sun Shuai knew that the cause of the complaint was a domestic violence case he had dealt with before. “Xiao Xiong” involved in the case was dissatisfied with Sun Shuai’s criticism and education to him. In addition, he was depressed when he received many complaints when delivering food, so he complained about Sun Shuai in the same way. He also threatened to do bad things.

Sun Shuai took the initiative to add the WeChat account of “Xiao Xiong”. Even if he couldn’t get a reply, he would take time to care about the sensitive and irritable “Xiao Xiong”: “change a positive avatar first” and “get a refreshing hairstyle”... In this way, the trust between “Xiao Xiong” and Sun Shuai was gradually established, and “Xiao Xiong” transformed himself step by step according to Sun Shuai’s suggestions. With more smiles, complaints received by “Xiao Xiong” when delivering food became less and less.

“Xiao Xiong” entered a right path with the help of Sun Shuai. On the way to deliver food, he came to the police station and left a note and a bottle of water for Sun Shuai. This bottle of water was also regarded by Sun Shuai as the “best gift” since becoming the policeman.

“After handling a lot of cases, I find that a lot of people don’t really have an outlet for their emotions.” Sun Shuai always feels that the police must have the ability to empathize and experience the hard work before they can understand the hard work. “But the ‘emotion and empathies’ should have a certain degree, and we are usually too busy with work, so it is indeed impossible to understand and help everyone in depth, and sometimes when we meet, we will ‘give a hand’.”

Many private emotional disputes are not within the jurisdiction of the police, but Sun Shuai also expressed his understanding. He said, “The concept of calling the police if you have trouble has been deeply imprinted in the memory of ordinary people. If a man calls 110, it means that he has indeed troubles. It is positive that ordinary people can think of us when they are helpless.”

03“I know many lawyers, and I want to promote the establishment of a ‘Police and Lawyer Mediation Center’ ”

Regardless of whether it is within or outside his duties, Sun Shuai does not remember how many conflicts and disputes he has handled during his seven years of grassroots police work. His work experience also makes him well aware of the importance of resolving the source of conflicts and disputes for grassroots governance. Gradually, he has developed an idea of combining resources and work around him to resolve conflicts at the grassroots level.

“I graduated from Southwest University of Political Science and Law. Many of my friends are lawyers. They are more professional in the mediation and handling of some conflicts and disputes, so I want to work with them to resolve conflicts and disputes together.” Sun Shuai said, “Lawyers have to gather experience relying on receiving cases. Sometimes there may not be one case in a month, but they can get several cases in a day if they come to the police station. Therefore, my initiative has been widely accepted by many lawyer friends, and they feel happy to do something for the people.”

His idea has also been supported by the leaders. In January 2024, the first “Police and Lawyer Mediation Center” in Jiangbei District was established in the Dashiba Police Station. It is composed of the Dashiba Police Station, law firms and the Office of Justice, and gathers public security police officers, public welfare lawyers, and people’s mediators. The center serves as a completely public welfare organization open to the public without holidays.

Since the establishment of the “Police and Lawyer Mediation Center”, 125 lawyers have participated in mediation of more than 150 disputes, and provided legal consultations for more than 200 people.

Sun Shuai has handled countless cases in the past seven years, and this number will continue to grow in the days to come. He will continue to be the busy policeman who loves to be “meddling”, exploring the boundaries of law and human relations in trivial matters. (Photos provided by interviewee) 

(Translated by Wang Zhong, Fathom Language Limited)