Commune police force: More than courage

(Baonghean) - Nghe An currently has 8,016 commune and town police officers. Of these, 453 hold the position of Commune Police Chief, 725 are Deputy Commune Police Chiefs, and the rest are full-time police officers and village police officers. In recent years, the commune police force in Nghe An has resolved up to 80% of incidents occurring at the grassroots level, making an important contribution to ensuring political security and social order and safety in residential areas.

Typical examples of commune police force

Anyone who has met Lu Duc Hai will find it hard to forget his gentle smile, slim figure, but hidden strength that few people have. In 2004, when he was just 19 years old, Lu Duc Hai directly participated in breaking up 2 drug trafficking cases, arresting 2 criminals. At that time, Hai was the leader of the youth shock group of Son Ha village - Tam Quang commune - Tuong Duong district. From an excellent member at the grassroots level, Lu Duc Hai was assigned by Tam Quang commune's Youth Union to the commune's Youth Union as Vice Chairman. But the "blood" of catching criminals still followed Hai as a destiny. In 2005, Hai participated in successfully arresting 2 escaped property thieves, arrested 4 drug addicts and sent them to a rehabilitation center. Also in 2005, while being Vice Chairman of Tam Quang commune's Youth Union, Lu Duc Hai was transferred to take on the role of Deputy Commune Police.

Only half a year after working in the new field, Hai achieved the title of Excellent Soldier. Then, continuously from 2006 to 2008, Hai achieved the title of Emulation Soldier at the district level, and was awarded many Certificates of Merit by the Provincial Police Director for his outstanding achievements in the fight against crime; and was honored by the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union as a typical example of youth following Uncle Ho's teachings... Hai shared: "What a talent! When I see something bad, I can't sit still. I'm a commune police officer...".

Lu Duc Hai is just one of over 8,000 commune police officers in 453 communes and towns in the province. Considered a semi-professional armed force, the reality shows that the commune police force has been playing a core role in the movement to protect national security. From 2008 to now, the commune police force has directly resolved over 10,000 cases of law violations, transferred nearly 2,000 cases for investigation and handling; coordinated with other forces to eradicate over 500 complicated drug hotspots. The whole province has now built 470 models and mass organizations to protect security and order. Thereby, the people have provided tens of thousands of valuable sources of information to help the police organize the fight against crime, maintain political security and social order and safety.

One of the most typical examples of the communal police force is the Chief of My Ly Commune Police - Ky Son District, Lo Van Thang. Mr. Thang said that he did not know how many cases he had participated in, how many subjects he had arrested. He only knew that My Ly Commune with its rugged mountainous terrain, has a 58 km long border, adjacent to 6 villages and 3 communes of Hua Phan Province, Laos, so the security and order situation is very complicated, especially crimes of storing, transporting, illegally buying and selling drugs and violating border regulations. With the responsibility of the head of the grassroots police force, with the coordination and support of officers and soldiers of Ky Son District Police, Lo Van Thang and the communal police force participated in successfully destroying 3 drug trafficking and transportation lines across the Vietnam - Laos border in My Ly Commune. The commune police directly destroyed 4 complicated drug dens, coordinated to arrest and detain 39 cases, 42 subjects, seized 113 grams of heroin, 145 synthetic drug pills.

Mr. Lo Van Thang - Chief of My Ly Commune Police (Ky Son) and Major Vu Ba Mua - Ky Son District Police exchanged professional knowledge.

In addition, Mr. Lo Van Thang discovered and directly arrested 6 buffalo and cow thieves, confiscating 6 cows with a total value of over 45 million VND to return to the victims. Major Vu Ba Mua - Team Leader of the Movement Building Team and in charge of the commune's security and order - Ky Son District Police said that without the grassroots police force, it would be difficult to ensure security and order in the border area. The work that the Chief of My Ly Commune Police - Lo Van Thang did was much greater. "Few people dare to spend their own money to take care of village and hamlet affairs. Few people dare to cross the floodwaters despite the danger to their lives to save 20 children and women in the storm. Perhaps only comrade Lo Van Thang...".

There are many typical examples of communal police in the movement of the whole people to protect national security. Lieutenant Colonel Dinh Bat Cam - Deputy Head of the Department of Building the Movement of the Whole People to Protect National Security - Nghe An Police affirmed: The communal police is a strategic force that solves 80% of cases at the grassroots level, is the dictatorial tool of the Party and the State in residential areas. Not only is it at the forefront of the fight to prevent and stop all types of crimes, but it is also a pioneer in local emulation movements, and is the nucleus of grassroots mass mobilization work. In the past time, the communal police force of Nghe An has organized over 4,600 propaganda, mobilization and law dissemination sessions with nearly 400,000 participants.

What policy for commune police?

The Commune Police is a force directly involved in the fight against crime, arresting criminals, including many dangerous criminals who are unarmed. The Dien Lam Commune Police (Dien Chau) has 6 members, including 1 chief, 2 deputies and 3 permanent security guards. In addition, there are 25 police officers in 25 residential areas. When deploying security and order assurance work, the Dien Lam Commune Police are supported with 4 handcuffs and 4 rubber batons.

Mr. Thai Doan Tam - Chief of Dien Lam Commune Police confided that in 18 years of working in the commune police force, many times he and his teammates had to use "tricks" to suppress or arrest criminals, "For example, deliberately making noise, making the subject lose concentration and then rushing in to arrest". But this measure does not have much effect on subjects committing serious crimes such as drug use, or thugs and reckless subjects. Therefore, it is not easy for the commune police force to have much confidence when participating in attacking and chasing criminals "He held a knife to make a tooth but I put my stomach in" - that is the sharing of Mr. Nguyen Huu Ngan - Chief of Nghia Hop Commune Police, Tan Ky District.

Mr. Ngan also said that Nghia Hop is a commune located in a sensitive area for security and order, bordering Prison No. 3 - Ministry of Public Security, so with a population of less than 3,000 people in 7 hamlets, it has 1 commune police chief, 2 deputies and 3 permanent security officers. It is also necessary to explain further that currently, the commune police force is arranged according to the nature, population and hot spots of the area. If it is a commune in a border area, a key area for security and order, or has a population of over 5,000 people, it will be classified as type 1, type 2 with 1 chief, 2 deputy police officers and 3 permanent security officers. The remaining communes are type 3 with 1 chief, 1 deputy and 2 permanent security officers.

Returning to Nghia Hop commune, Tan Ky district, the police force here has 3 pairs of handcuffs, each person is equipped with a rubber baton. Meanwhile, according to Deputy Chief of Nghia Hop commune police - Truong Xuan Hop, surrounding communes such as Nghia Dung, Nghia Binh, Nghia Dong, Nghia Thai have ensured 40% of the required support tools, including electric batons and tear gas guns. As for Nghia Hop, it is unknown when such tools will be provided.

In addition to the uniforms fully supported by the Provincial Police, the tools supporting the activities of the commune police have long been invested and purchased by the local authorities. Therefore, the provision of support tools and operating costs for the commune's armed paramilitary force depend on the local budget. And of course, it is impossible to demand more from poor communes.

The dedication of the communal police force is not only affirmed in daily working conditions. It is also shown in the fact that up to now, the grassroots security soldiers have worked mainly with spirit and will, not with monthly salary. According to regulations, the communal police force, except for the police chief who enjoys civil servant regime, salary and other social policies, the rest rely on support from the local government.

Accordingly, the payment for the position of Deputy Commune Police is equal to the minimum wage, equivalent to 1,050,000 VND/month. Regular police officers receive a coefficient of 0.8, which is 80% of the minimum wage, equivalent to about 800,000 VND/month, while village police officers receive a coefficient of 0.8, which is equal to 80% of the minimum wage, equivalent to about 800,000 VND/month. Village police officers receive a coefficient of 0.8, depending on the support level of each locality. Mr. Phan Ba ​​Hien, Deputy Chief of Thanh My Commune Police, Thanh Chuong District, said that only those who are enthusiastic about the movement can stick with the job. Mr. Hien's income from his "position" as Deputy Commune Police is just enough for gas money, not to mention funerals, weddings and funerals. His family's life mainly depends on 3 sao of rice fields. This fact is further proven by Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Chairman of Thanh My Commune People's Committee (Thanh Chuong): If it were for economic purposes, no one would become a commune police officer. There are people who have not been able to bring any money home to their wives and children for decades.

With an “income” of about 800 thousand VND/person/month, it is hard to imagine that the soldiers working in the “dangerous” field at the base are maintaining their work and life every day, every hour. All have to look at their family’s fields, depending on the conditions for farming and agricultural production. So what motivates the people working in the base security to stick with their duties? It can only be said that they are passionate people, because of the word “Heart”.

According to Mr. Pham Van Hoa - Chairman of Tan Ky District People's Committee, in the context of limited State budget for commune police force and village security, the implementation of socialization of security and order work is something that needs to be considered. Socialization by people's participation in contributing funds to maintain the activities of commune police force and local security. In fact, for the government and people of Dang Son commune, Do Luong district, this has been done for many years. With the factor of a type 3 commune, Dang Son commune police force includes 1 police chief, 1 deputy, 2 permanent security officers and 14 security officers of 7 hamlets.

The income of village security officers is based on the level of contribution of households. The remuneration is calculated based on the area of ​​crops that the police officer participates in protecting. The method is: on an area of ​​1 sao of rice, the police officer will receive a certain number of kilograms of rice converted into money (based on the price at each time applied by the State). Farmers and the police force will negotiate and agree on this. Although the current income of village security officers in Dang Son commune is not high, only fluctuating from 500,000 VND to over 600,000 VND/person/month, this is a suitable method for many localities, meaningfully linking the responsibility of grassroots security workers to the people and the obligations of households to the movement of the whole people to protect the security of the Fatherland.

It can be affirmed that: Commune police are the key force in the movement to fight and prevent all kinds of crimes at the grassroots level; they are the force to suppress cases and manifestations of law violations when they first appear. Commune police also suffer many risks and disadvantages in the process of performing their duties. If he did not have courage and bravery, Lu Duc Hai - Deputy Chief of Tam Quang Commune Police would not have dared to rush into the HIV-infected subject and then had to go all night to Vinh City to take anti-exposure drugs. If it were not for the movement, for the lives of the people, Dien Lam Commune Police Chief - Thai Doan Tam would have been hit by a motorbike by thugs when being chased. It can only be said: Commune police - more than courage.

Dao Tuan