A program aimed at improving the language skills of Beijing
police in time for the Olympics has given officers unexpected
insights that chime with a key theme of the ongoing session of the
national legislature.
"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 Jie, who
completed a master's degree in international liaison and
communication at the University of Westminster last September.
"During my study in London, I visited many police stations and
participated in a number of professional workshops. I exchanged
experiences with local police on areas such as community policing,
traffic management and anti-terrorism," he said. "I learnt a lot
from them. The most important was the way of thinking."
The 39-year-old deputy head of Chaoyang District's Exit/Entry
Administration said it was hard to complete the one-year course: "I
got less than six hours of sleep daily."
Nine of Xu Jie's colleagues also attended it, the first batch to
receive language training in foreign countries as the capital
prepares for the 2008 Games.
Xu Lijing, in charge of the training program, explained why
language skills are so important: "The world community has two
major concerns about the Beijing Games. One is security, and the
other is the language barrier."
"We have selected 133 police officers to receive language
training in countries such as the UK, Germany, Australia and
Canada," said Xu Lijing. This year, 124 will go abroad for
training.
"Meanwhile, we provide on-the-job language training for police,
especially those patrolling the streets and neighborhood police
staff providing services at grassroots level," he added.
(China Daily March 10, 2005)