The story of 'solving cases' of a young criminal police lieutenant

Enthusiasm of young soldiers

The first impression when meeting Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam, born in 1989 - Chief of Quynh Vinh Commune Police (Hoang Mai town) is simplicity, closeness, friendliness with a smile always on his face.

Born and raised in Hoang Mai, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam early nurtured the ideal of contributing to the peace of his homeland. After graduating from the People's Police Academy, in 2014, he returned to work at the Social Order Investigation Police Team (later the Criminal, Economic, and Drug Investigation Team) of Hoang Mai Town Police with a love for the profession and youthful enthusiasm.

As a criminal police officer facing many difficulties, hardships and even imminent dangers when dealing with notorious criminals, he is always enthusiastic and steadfast in his chosen path, working with his teammates to investigate and quickly solve many serious crimes that occurred in the area, bringing a peaceful life to the people. "What I keep in mind is how to complete all assigned tasks well, investigate and handle the right people, the right crimes. Being a criminal detective is very difficult and dangerous, my teammates and I often have to deal with drug addicts, even HIV-infected people, but fortunately, the leaders of the town police always encourage and cheer on the soldiers" - Senior Lieutenant Lam shared.

Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam works with people. Photo: An Quynh

Telling us about the time he was exposed to HIV while arresting drug trafficker Le Ngoc Tuan (born in 1982; residing in Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district) in Project 518M, Senior Lieutenant Lam smiled gently: “At that time, I didn’t think much. I just hoped to catch him soon so that people would be less worried.” It is known that Le Ngoc Tuan not only has a bad “record” with many prison sentences for drug trafficking but is also infected with late-stage HIV. During the struggle to arrest this subject, Senior Lieutenant Lam was injured in the hand by Tuan.

Facing the risk of being exposed to HIV, he had to go to the hospital for treatment. At that time, his family and teammates were his greatest support and source of spiritual encouragement. After a period of treatment and two tests, he and his family were very happy because the results were all negative.

From 2016 to 2019, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam participated in and successfully solved 16 special cases. In 2016 alone, he personally participated in and arrested many drug-related cases, arrested 15 subjects, seized 30 grams of heroin and 80.6 grams of synthetic drugs. Participated in reconnaissance, arrested 9 cases with 42 subjects for gambling, prosecuted 5 cases with 23 subjects.

Dedicated commune police chief

Implementing the policy of the Ministry of Public Security on regularizing the grassroots police force, in September 2019, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam was appointed as the head of Quynh Vinh Commune Police. It is known that Quynh Vinh is a semi-mountainous commune of Hoang Mai town with the largest area in the town and more than 16,000 people, of which 1/10 are Catholics. Although the commune has favorable factors for economic development, it is a key area for security and order, including complicated crimes and drug abuse, gambling, property theft, illegal trading of explosives, etc.

Realizing this, right after being appointed, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam actively advised the Party Committee and the People's Committee of the commune to issue many plans and measures to ensure national security and social order and safety in the area. He shared: "In the first days of getting acquainted with the area, my teammates and I went to each village and hamlet, "going to every alley, knocking on every door" to learn about the lives and living habits of the people, both propagating and listening to understand the thoughts and aspirations of the people. For legitimate aspirations and recommendations, close to reality, we reported to the leaders for timely handling". With such an approach, after a period of working, Senior Lieutenant Lam was extremely trusted and loved by the local people.

From September 2019 to June 2020, when assigned as Chief of Quynh Vinh Commune Police, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam participated in arresting 8 gambling cases, of which 1 case with 4 subjects was prosecuted; 7 cases with 36 subjects were administratively handled; 10 cases related to firecrackers were arrested, the situation of setting off firecrackers on New Year's Eve was strictly handled, with high deterrence.

In particular, one of the projects that resonated and gained the trust of the people was the destruction of a drug trafficking den of a subject with 4 criminal records in the area. That subject was Duong Trung Huong (born in 1969, residing in Hamlet 14, Quynh Vinh Commune), a notorious criminal, extremely cunning with 4 prison terms, 3 of which were related to illegal drug trafficking. Being a heavy drug addict with a cunning and stubborn nature, Huong did not hesitate to use any means to deal with and fight against the authorities.

Through the investigation, it was found that Huong often spent from 2 to 3 million VND on drugs and to have drugs to serve his own needs, he colluded with "drug dealers" to get drugs to supply to addicts in the area. He used his own house for transactions. The appearance of this place caused insecurity in the commune, making Quynh Vinh people extremely confused and scared. However, the difficulty for the authorities was that the subject rarely showed his face and he absolutely did not sell to strangers.

After collecting all the information and being directed by his superiors, on March 21, 2020, while Duong Trung Huong was throwing goods out to customers, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam and the detectives climbed over the fence, arrested the subject and seized more than 30 grams of heroin.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Binh Ha - Chief of Hoang Mai Town Police said: “Lieutenant Lam is a young officer, graduated from a regular university and is one of the people working in Hoang Mai since the early days of the town's establishment. At that time, there was no headquarters, the soldiers suffered many disadvantages, but comrade Lam was very hard-working, always trying to complete the work assigned by his superiors. He was also a criminal police officer who participated in and successfully solved many major cases. When he was assigned by his superiors to be the Chief of Quynh Vinh Commune Police, although he was still confused and faced many difficulties in the area, comrade Lam advised the government to solve many problems, ensuring security and order in the area".

Senior Lieutenant Lam at the ceremony to honor individuals for the "national movement to protect the Fatherland". Photo: An Quynh

With outstanding achievements, at the end of July, Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Van Lam was one of 75 outstanding members and youths in the movement "All people protect national security" that was commended by the Ministry of Public Security in coordination with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at the historical site of the Central Security Department of the Southern Department (Tay Ninh).