There's a Chinese saying that 'a new official lights three fires when taking office." When are Chuang's other two matches aimed?
On October 24, 1945, just one day before Taiwan left the control of Japan, a US navy vessel sailed into Keelung. Crammed on deck were young Chinese policemen, one of whom was 20-year-old Chuang Heng-tai.
When in 1943 the Cairo declaration stipulated that Taiwan would return to China after the war, the government established a Taiwan police cadre class in Fukien and Kwangtung to train personnel to take charge of Taiwan Chuang's parents had already emigrated to Singapore. Because he was determined not to live on foreign soil, he remained in Fukien with his grandmother. When he saw the announcement calling for students, he enrolled in the police school. At that time, the young man figured that Taiwan was very close by, and could be reached by plane in an hour. That way he could be 'both loyal to his country and filial to his family.'
Early on in Taiwan, he served as the Kaohsiung district reception control officer. At only 24 he was promoted to be the head of the Pingtung police office (equivalent to a captain today). Over the past forty years, he has served as a captain, chief of police, general inspector in both Hualien and Changhwa counties, and chief of the Criminal Investigation Bureau. He has seen Taiwan grow prosperous, and he has seen public order come into crisis.
Below, Chuang tells us about future plans.
Q: The government has declared this to be 'Public Order Maintenance Year.' What will you do to be in step with the policy?
A: Because currently the whole of society is out of tune and disorderly, this leads to a deterioration in public order. We are preparing to implement the 'Plan to Rectify Police Districts, Enhance Public-Police Cooperation, and Maintain Social Order.' This is to expand the use of people power, and place more stress on prevention than crime solving.
Everybody knows that police pay is low, work is tough, and everything is done for the people, so the people should work more closely with the police.
We will also follow the directives of Premier Hau and take aim at the six main points for public order. For example we will plan concrete methods to block the spread of guns, to realize patrol area work, to strengthen monitoring of late night entertainment centers, to strengthen our grasp on the underworld, to strengthen links between law enforcement agencies, and to deal with marches and demonstrations according to law.
Q: You are the first NPA head out of the ranks of the police. Will your methods be different?
A: I want to explain this point. Since the NPA was established under the Ministry of the Interior in 1972, although I am the first policeman to become director, there were several career policemen who were head of the old Taiwan Province Police Affairs Office before the change in the administrative structure. So I can't really claim the mantle of 'the first.'
Now there is a consensus in society, that is that public order is a comprehensive project. The shift in public order has involved complex factors, and what the police can do is 'treat the symptoms more than the roots.' Premier Hau has said to 'restore public order on the foundation of the democratic rule of law.'
Q: Since taking office you have stressed 'efficiency.' But how will you strengthen the combat capability and investigation and prevention functions of the police?
A: We have made a comprehensive survey of the current social situation, and the duties and capacity of the police. We have drawn up a 'Supplementary Police Development Plan.' The plan will be gradually accomplished in stages over five years from July 1, 1990 to June 30, 1995. Priority will be given to new weaponry and communications equipment. This is the aspect of strengthening combat capability.
In terms of investigation and prevention, it is essential to start from improving the equipment of the criminal investigation police. We've already moved to increase personnel, buy advanced criminology technology, vehicles, and weapons.
Q: The attitude toward police in society is half proud, half harsh. Where do you think the problem lies? Is it in the system, or are the police themselves responsible?
A: Because of objective and subjective factors, for some time now most executive bureaucracies have turned to the police to help out when they meet obstacles in their work. For example, clearing away illegal street stalls is the work of the Department of Reconstruction. But they always think to rely on the compulsory power of the police to push their own duties. Therefore a lot of work that doesn't belong to the police becomes police work. We are inundated with secondary tasks, like beautifying the environment, confiscating illegal publications, maintaining the safety of the electrical system, and so on.
Q: Well how can this situation be improved?
A: We are slowly transferring responsibilities back to the responsible units. Only then can we concentrate on our own tasks. Of course, strengthening education and raising personnel quality are also objectives we strive toward.
Q: You have always stressed the work of household registration inspection and of patrol area inspection. In terms of the patrol area system, do you have any new plans?
A: The patrol area is the basic unit of police work, and the foundation of social order. Only when the police understand the security situation in their jurisdiction can they take the initiative to prevent crime and solve cases in an appropriate time. We are currently considering adjusting those districts which are too large. Further, we will use senior officers to be responsible for patrol areas, to encourage them to stay on longer. We will give them a district responsibility system to insure that they grasp the dubious persons and affairs in their areas.
As for time to be invested in patrolling, each officer should commit two to four hours per day in principle. In the day they will coordinate household registration, visits, and service to the people. At night they will mainly patrol to prevent theft. Police in more difficult areas can apply for help from the mobile police network to support patrolling and investigation.
Q: What level of work in household registration investigation will meet your standards?
A: The precinct officer should have memorized the situation of every household and the name of the head of the household for everything in his jurisdiction, it should reach the level of 'seeing a person and knowing their name, of seeing their name and knowing the person.' It is also necessary to grasp the population turnover. Only that will meet the standard, and can prevent crime.
Q: You have said you want to raise the status of police. Do you have any concrete measures in mind?
A: We can look at this from the two sides of the cause and the symptoms. For symptoms, we must thoroughly enforce ethics, and demand that all levels "handle all cases of police wrongdoing as they arise, and by handling each case to rid the police ranks of one bad cop," and strictly punish officers who don't obey the laws.
In terms of causes, first we want to improve salaries and benefits. Everyone knows police are part of the civil service, and they can't have their salaries separately adjusted. But the hours are long, the work is complex and tough, and high-risk, so there is a 'police bonus.' This year we asked for approval to raise it 13%. Further, to buck up morale, we have also asked for beyond-the-call overtime pay. In terms of benefits, for policemen injured or killed in the line of duty, besides compensation under the usual civil service benefits and insurance regulations, in order to boost morale, it has been stipulated in the police personnel management regulations that: Those disabled in the line of duty will receive additional benefits on the same basis as those disabled in a combat zone. Further, the Police Safety Insurance Substitution Plan has already been submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval. Compensation for death in the line of duty will te NT$2 million, NT$1 million for full disability, and NT$600,000 for partial disability. The private 'Police Safety Fund' also awards comprehensive compensation to those killed or injured on the job.
Of course, personnel channels must be open and smooth. This year we have already promoted 2,090 cadres to the rank of squad leader and above. These are new channels of promotion opened up to handle the new influx of base level police. We must further adjust the proportion of rank and file officers to mid-level officers, and of mid-level to high-level. Also, we must adjust the deployment ratio between a sergeant and his subordinate officers, to strengthen base level leadership.
[Picture Caption]
The new director of the NPA has been in office two months, and has already held three sweeps. You can see his ambition to restore public safety.
In his term as NPA chief, Chuang Heng-tai lives by the byword "Break big cases, capture major criminals." The photo shows him interrogating most-wanted criminal Yang Shuang-wu (first at left). (photo courtesy of Criminal Investigation Bureau)
(Above) In 1987, when the Bureau of Criminal Investigation broke a major arms smuggling case, bureau director Chuang couldn't resist demonstrating. (photo courtesy of Criminal Investigation Bureau)
(Below) Smuggling patrols are a key for rectifying public order. As soon as he took office Chuang inspected this unit specializing in smuggling detection in Tamshui. (photo courtesy of Special Strike Force Seven)
Director Chuang stresses that if patrol area work and household registration inspection are done right, then crime can be prevented.
In his term as NPA chief, Chuang Heng-tai lives by the byword "Break big cases, capture major criminals." The photo shows him interrogating most-wanted criminal Yang Shuang-wu （first at left）. （photo courtesy of Criminal Investigation Bureau）
（Above） In 1987, when the Bureau of Criminal Investigation broke a major arms smuggling case, bureau director Chuang couldn't resist demonstrating. （photo courtesy of Criminal Investigation Bureau）
（Below） Smuggling patrols are a key for rectifying public order. As soon as he took office Chuang inspected this unit specializing in smuggling detection in Tamshui. （photo courtesy of Special Strike Force Seven）
Director Chuang stresses that if patrol area work and household registration inspection are done right, then crime can be prevented.
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