Modern approach helps officer keep in touch

Editor's note: Four young people — a policeman, an internet influencer, a dog trainer and a science fiction writer — share stories of their work and lives, and discuss ways in which they feel people have changed in recent years.

The success of Chinese dramas such as The Knockout and Ordinary Greatness have prompted curiosity among many people about the daily work of a police officer.

Wu Haoyuan, 33, an officer at Sanlitun Police Station in Beijing's Chaoyang district, said his duties do not include the dramatic twists and turns of the underworld as featured in The Knockout, but mainly involve dealing with ordinary jobs and lives.

Sanlitun is home to numerous bars, clubs, restaurants and shopping malls. When people in the area encounter difficulties, like many others, their initial reaction is usually to call the police.

"We typically handle more than 70 cases reported to us every day — most of them involving young people," Wu said.

He and his colleagues deal with the community directly and spend most of their time solving everyday problems, including trivial disputes, cases of theft, and even arguments between couples.

Wu said most requests for help in Sanlitun are from people who are drunk and have lost their phones. In most cases, they are totally unaware of how their phone disappeared.

"To locate a missing phone, it often takes us more than 20 hours to review surveillance video footage to find some clues," Wu added.

Sanlitun attracts a constant flow of people in the evenings. Mobile patrol stations, officers on the streets, and flashing police sirens all give the public a sense of security, Wu said.

He added that his duties are quite different from what he imagined, but with the help of his mentor and other veteran officers, he has come to value his work and that of the police force.

Wu said mentoring is a tradition in the force. Every new recruit is assigned a mentor to guide his or her work during an internship. One night, Wu and his mentor responded to an emergency call stating that a man was wielding a knife in their district.

When they arrived at the scene in total darkness, Wu felt tense, and sensed that his mentor was also uneasy.

But his mentor said they had to shoulder their responsibilities. The pair searched the area almost arm in arm. Even though the call turned out to be a misunderstanding, Wu was impressed by his mentor's firm resolve when facing a risky situation.

"It's only human nature to fear the unknown, and police officers are just ordinary people who have to make extraordinary choices," Wu said.

Now leading the crime-fighting team at Sanlitun Police Station, Wu guides new recruits.

As a member of the younger generation, he has also introduced new methods to police work, as well as developing a fresh understanding of his career.

As netizens often take to social media to report cases of crime, he and his tech-savvy team use such platforms in their work, such as for gathering clues.

"I don't think we are distanced from the public, especially the young crowds in Sanlitun," said Wu, who has received silk banners from many people in appreciation of his work.

One such banner that helped him deepen understanding of his work came from a suspect's father. The man later told Wu he simply wanted to express his gratitude to the police for giving his son the chance to reform.

At that moment, Wu realized that his job does not just involve fighting crime. "Fighting crime is important, but helping others matters more," he said.