A Man of Virtue

By Zhang Minjiao and Dong Leiyang

"I am Liu An.'An'stands for security." Liu An used to introduce himself in this way.He was a police officer for community services with the Puhuangyu Police Station in Beijing.Unfortunately,the residents in this area will no longer hear his voice,soft and somewhat bashful.

His last social media post on WeChat Moments was made on March 5,2021 when he was organizing an event to commemorate Lei Feng,a Chinese role model,and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the voluntary service team he initiated.He wrote,"Here's a tribute to our 20 years of persistence and inheritance.Let's carry forward the Lei Feng spirit and embrace its renewed vitality!" This reveals his original aspiration as a policeman with 34 years of service.

On the morning of March 7,2021,Liu went for a roll call at the police station after a night shift.He reported his work to a supervisor,received new assignments,and returned to the community police office.However,nobody knew that it would be his farewell to his post where he had served for over three decades.At 10:50 a.m.,the supervisor on duty received an urgent call saying that Liu had passed out in his office and an ambulance had been called for his rescue.Immediately his colleagues hastened to the site.Sadly,a heart attack took his life despite ardent rescue efforts.Liu passed away at 10:58 a.m.,aged 55.

"A Guarantee of Security"

Liu's father was a veteran of the former Fourth Field Army of the Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) and one of the first pilots of the Chinese Air Force.Due to his father,Liu had developed a favor for uniforms since his childhood.In October 1983,he was conscripted into the army as a PLA soldier and demobilized three years later.Back then,the Fengtai Public Security Sub-bureau released a recruitment plan.The experience in the military camp fostered in Liu a dream to uphold justice and serve the people,so he applied for the post and was enrolled with an excellent performance.He was assigned to the Puhuangyu Police Station after the training program.

As a freshman,Liu was asked to familiarize himself with the local circumstances.Two months later,he started to work in community services for the Puhuangyu Community.Wang Yunlong,a senior policeman,instructed him with extensive care during daily practice.In the beginning,Liu was reluctant to be a mere neighborhood policeman.All he had longed for was to apprehend criminals and settle cases.But one day,Liu changed his mind when he was overwhelmed with the hospitality of the local residents during an inspection with Wang.

So affable were the locals toward him as an apprentice to the veteran Wang that they expressed their confidence in him,"we will count on you to maintain order and stability in our community after your instructor retires." Later,he found that the community workers and residents were all very supportive,which gave him encouragement and motivation.Aware of the public expectation,Liu resolved to bring more tangible benefits to the community.

There is a saying goes in the Puhuangyu Community,"Liu An is a guarantee of security." In 1996,when Liu began to take charge of the Puhuangyu Second Community,there were two non-gated sections prone to diverse risks.

Thanks to site investigations,it dawned upon Liu that closed management could be the only way to control access and reduce security risks.It was high summer when he set about solving this problem.In order to raise funds and settle agreements with equipment suppliers,he had to coordinate with different parties concerned and visit them many times in searingly hot days.He always found himself soaked in sweat.Once Liu was out on patrol when his jeep broke down halfway.They pushed the vehicle to the roadside and walked to the destination to get things done first.After several rounds of strenuous effort,they finally succeeded in performing closed management in those neighborhoods.Liu helped recruit gatekeepers.With these potential risks removed,the Puhuangyu Second Community turned into a model of security.

Liu believed that several skills were necessary to manage the community well.He developed an effective approach characterized by diligent use of the mouth,eyes,ears,hands and feet.He insisted on inspecting his jurisdiction every day to get to know his neighborhood as well as possible.It seemed that he had a mental map of the community:the locations,names of each household and their phone numbers were clearly marked.He could recall all of them instantly.In addition,under his proposal,the Public Security Classroom and a police-themed exhibition were established in the community,and a "School Shield" program was launched on campuses and in kindergartens.With these measures in place,more residents are better aware of the work of the police and take active part in the protection,development and governance of their community.

"The Voice of Security"

Publicizing preemptive measures and raising safety awareness is so essential to his daily policing that Liu,though a little bashful himself,kept babbling about the importance of security to the locals.But this one-on-one approach could only reach a few people;even if he organized a meeting,there would be little attendance.So he resolved to work out a better way.

To begin with,he installed six loudspeakers within the jurisdiction and set up a radio station called "The Voice of Security." He prepared all the scripts himself,including security reminders,service information and tips for daily life.The first broadcast received positive reviews from the dwellers for providing useful information.But later,he found out that due to the limitations of time and space,only those residents who didn't go out for work tune in.Moreover,many residents told him that they hoped to have wider access to security updates.

To meet the people's needs,Liu created a newspaper of the same name.Its launch ceremony was held in the community on May 22,2011,making it the first community-based newspaper for security-related information in Beijing.All 1,000 copies of the first issue were sent out to the residents in just two hours.The paper has four columns:Laws and Regulations,News in Brief,Voice of Community,and Chit-Chat,which provide various kinds of information and measures to prevent security risks.A resident said,"This is great.Now I can read the newspaper if I miss the broadcast.These cases and anti-burglary tips are very helpful.I will keep and read every issue carefully."

In addition to the broadcast and newspaper,Liu also promoted the Voice of Security program on social media platforms such as QQ,Weibo and WeChat.As mass communications kept evolving,he continued to tap digital resources in community management,thereby promoting interaction between police and the people and remarkably improving people's security awareness.

Liu fostered all-weather policing by mobilizing the residents to carry out inspections and examinations.By doing so,they had ruled out all potential risks and achieved zero crime incidence for years.During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020,Liu did something that won the admiration of many community officials.There were five buildings that lacked property management but needed to be disinfected on a daily basis.Liu was the first to volunteer for the daily disinfection of the neighborhood.In his fifties,he carried a 20-kilo-heavy sprayer scaling up and down the non-elevator apartment blocks.Exhausting as it was,the task lasted for over half a year.One day,he fell down the stairs,causing a fracture in his caudal vertebra.He told nobody and continued toiling."As a member of the Communist Party of China,I must step forward." He believed that running the community well is his responsibility and ensuring no one gets infected is how he lives up to his duty toward the people.

A Man of Virtue

Liu An is often referred to as a good guy.He deserved it.When he was young,his parents would help their neighbors financially despite their meager salary.His parents' generosity was exemplary to Liu as a little kid.

Liu assisted more than 70 elderly persons who have no children during his community service.They all treated him like their family.For instance,one old lady whom he had taken care of for 12 years would always tell others proudly,"I have a son now."

In addition,Liu provided financial support to 18 orphans and 10 students in need,never asking for anything in return.These children regarded him as"a police dad".Over the past 30 years,he donated some 200,000 yuan to impoverished households in his jurisdiction.The warmth of his generosity thawed many deprived hearts.

Liu was honored "Role Model Next Door" by the Office of the National Steering Committee for Ethical and Cultural Progress in 2012 and included in the list of"Model Chinese Citizens."

Substantial benefits win people's hearts.But what exact benefits do they want the most? That was a questions Liu had been pondering.Residents over 60 account for more than 70 percent of the community's total population and there are nearly 300 households of senior "empty-nesters," as well as people with disabilities.In this light,Liu felt obliged to meet their pressing living needs.

When patrolling the community,Liu was often asked for help.For example,he would be glad to help top up natural gas and repair faucets and electric circuits with his own tools.Once he talked with Xu,chief of the community,about an idea of setting up a voluntary service team for the benefit of the elderly.Luckily,they were on the same page.The collaborative efforts involved people from different walks of life,including appliance repair technicians,employees of the natural gas station and barbers.Though small in number,these people offered different services:helping carry gas cylinders to seniors' home and solving power and water problems.There was an old resident who hadn't had his hair cut for over a year due to his weak legs.A volunteer barber came to his doorstep to help.

It was often difficult for senior residents to visit hospitals on their own.To solve this problem,Liu encouraged car owners to build a voluntary team to take and accompany the sick elderly to hospital.The team increased in both popularity and number due to its heartwarming services.The team now has 100 members,as compared with 20 at the initial stage.Meanwhile,it boasts a dozen subgroups.

There is a portrait of Lei Feng hanging on the wall of Liu's office because he regarded this man as his idol.

Liu was always nice and patient.He often reminded his apprentices to be kind to people around.Bian Zhaobin,a postgraduate of Beijing Forestry University,extolled Liu with great respect,"I didn't believe there was anyone willing to help as wholeheartedly as Lei Feng until I met him.It was late at night when we were asked to send an elderly person to hospital.As the patient lived in a building without an elevator,we decided to carry him down on our backs.I was young and strong,so I requested the mission.But Liu refused because I was fresh and inexperienced,which might end up in the senior getting hurt.Instead,Liu brought the old man down all by himself.At that moment,I started to realize that my mentor is a Lei Feng of modern times,so real and so close."

Over the years,Liu has been a well of inspiration for his colleagues and a source of motivation for the people.This modest and enterprising man who honored his commitments has served as an example for his workmates.He also gave selfless assistance and encouragement to young officials,and shared his working experience and understanding of this profession to help them develop a stronger faith in their services.Thanks to his positive influence,many young officials have grown into high-caliber specialists and taken on important positions.He often said to young policemen,"we must do something for our times."

Personal Profile:

Liu An,Han ethnicity,was born in June 1965.He was a CPC member,Senior Police Officer Class II and Police Commissioner Class III.He joined the public security department in February 1987 and was a community-oriented policeman of Puhuangyu Police Station of Fengtai Public Security Sub-bureau of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Puhuangyu Second Community of Dongtiejiangying Sub-district when he passed away.

He was granted honorary titles and awards as follows:Individual First-Class Merit once,Individual Second-Class Merit three times,Individual Third-Class Merit three times,Individual Commendation eight times,First-Class Hero Model of the Chinese Public Security System,National Outstanding People's Policeman,National Lei Feng Role Model,National Top Ten Individual Champions of Justice,the Best Chinese,Beijing Outstanding Worker,Beijing Political and Legal Official of the People,Award for Ethical and Cultural Progress in Beijing,Outstanding Individual of Beijing's Public Security Forces,and Outstanding CPC Member of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.