Good practices of veterans of Bac Thanh commune in maintaining rural security

Advise and participate in establishing 7 patrol teams

Bac Thanh Commune is located in the southwest of Yen Thanh District, about 3 km from the town center. This is also one of the top localities in Yen Thanh District that has achieved the advanced new rural standards. In the commune, there are many businesses that trade and produce garments, creating jobs for local workers and neighboring areas, while opening up the way for service industries to develop.

However, in addition to the advantages, the proliferation of service shops along with a large number of workers and residents also poses many potential risks of crimes and social evils, complicating the security and order situation in the area. From that reality, the Veterans Association of Bac Thanh commune has advised and coordinated the establishment of 7 patrol teams in 7 hamlets called "People's Patrol Teams", including the main participating forces being members of the Veterans Association, the Police, and the Commune Military Command.

The above model attracted more than 160 veteran members in the commune to participate. These patrol teams are organized regularly to remind and promptly detect security and order hotspots to coordinate with functional forces to prevent and handle them promptly. In the first 6 months of 2024, the "People's Patrol Team" model of Bac Thanh commune conducted 68 patrols; promptly detected 3 establishments selling goods in front of school gates that did not ensure quality; reminded service shops to close on time; coordinated to arrest and handle 2 citizens who set off firecrackers before Tet; dispersed crowds that risked destabilizing the security and order situation...

In addition to patrolling, the Bac Thanh Commune Veterans Association has advised the local authorities to directly install 7 complaint boxes at the cultural houses of 7 hamlets with the purpose of receiving reports and denouncing crimes. Thanks to that, a number of suspected drug addiction hotspots have been discovered, promptly reported to the authorities as well as coordinated with families to educate, deter and warn the subjects. The Commune Veterans Association has also successfully mobilized 1 subject in the area to go to drug rehabilitation, quickly quit drugs to rebuild his life.

Not only that, at the time when property theft appeared in the area, making people feel insecure, Bac Thanh commune established the model of "Self-managed inter-family groups, self-fire prevention, self-ensuring security and order, self-reconciliation and environmental sanitation". Each group consists of 12-18 households, in which each veteran family is the core, each veteran is the leading factor, exemplary, reminding children and grandchildren to practice a civilized lifestyle to set an example, at the same time, mobilizing neighbors, working together to maintain security and order in the village and hamlet. Veterans are also the vanguard force in implementing the models of "Bright, green, clean, beautiful roads", "Security cameras", "Drug-free areas", "Safe school gates"...

Mr. Nguyen Duy Thu - Chairman of the Veterans Association of Bac Thanh commune said: Only when security and order are stable can people feel secure in production and business, and the socio-economic development can take place. Therefore, the Veterans Association of the commune has actively coordinated with local authorities and organizations to synchronously implement measures to maintain peace in the village, thereby limiting social evils and violations of the law, ensuring security in the area.

Taking propaganda and mobilization as the core

Along with models of ensuring security and order, preventing and combating crime, the Veterans Association of Bac Thanh commune also pays special attention to propaganda work to raise legal awareness for the people. In the first 6 months of 2024 alone, the Association coordinated with functional forces to organize 7 sessions of propaganda, legal education, and prevention and combat of social evils for members and their families. The Association coordinated with hamlets to disseminate new documents, policies, and regulations through activities and programs in villages and hamlets with more than 18 sessions, attracting nearly 400 participants.

The grassroots mediation and conflict resolution work among the people has also been effectively carried out by the Veterans Association at all levels of Bac Thanh commune through "Skillful mass mobilization" and setting an example in all activities and general movements. For example, the most recent successful mediation between two families who are siblings in the hamlet. The conflict occurred when the older brother wanted to build a gate but the younger brother thought that the older brother had encroached on his land.

Veteran Bui Van Thong - Secretary of the Bac Son hamlet Party Cell, Bac Thanh commune shared: "Thoroughly understanding the need to participate in solving problems right from the grassroots level, avoiding the emergence of hot spots in the locality, so as soon as we heard the information, we invited commune officials and representatives of mass organizations and hamlets to mobilize, advise, explain, and resolve conflicts that very night. When we realized that it was due to a mistake in the paperwork, the two brothers were less stressed and found a solution. Many times, just a small incident has greatly increased the prestige of village and hamlet officials and the role of war veterans...".

In the first 6 months of 2024, the veteran groups and members of Bac Thanh commune successfully mediated 25 conflicts among the people. Mainly related to family conflicts, land disputes... contributing to maintaining village and neighborhood relations, avoiding the emergence of hot spots and complaints beyond the level.

Another way of propaganda work of the Veterans Association at all levels in Bac Thanh commune that has been recognized by the people is the construction of the "Intellectual House" model. This model originated from a veteran in Bac Son hamlet and has now been replicated in many hamlets in the commune.

Talking to us, veteran Nguyen Van Lac (born in 1951), Bac Son hamlet, Bac Thanh commune, who advised the hamlet Veterans Association to propose that the hamlet Executive Committee renovate the warehouse to become a community library, also known as "Intellectual House", said: The purpose of establishing the "Intellectual House" is not only for veterans but also for all people in the hamlet to come and learn knowledge, update information on new regimes, policies, documents, and regulations, thereby raising awareness and sense of law compliance, contributing to the movement "All people protect national security". Up to now, the "Intellectual House" of Bac Son hamlet has nearly 9,000 different books of all genres. This model has been studied and followed by 5/7 hamlets.

Mr. Hoang Xuan Toi - Vice Chairman of the Veterans Association of Yen Thanh district commented: In recent times, the Veterans Association of Bac Thanh commune has done a very good job of coordinating propaganda, raising legal awareness for members and people; maintaining security and order in the area. The efforts of the Veterans Association at all levels have contributed to making Bac Thanh commune a bright spot in rural security and order; at the same time, Bac Thanh commune is honored to be one of the 5 key communes in the province and the first commune in Yen Thanh district selected by the Provincial Police to organize the movement "All people protect national security".