Communities in Beijing hire ‘stability information staff’ to help fight terrorism

Communities in Beijing’s Haidian district are recruiting “stability information staff” to help prevent terrorism.

Recruits need to be less than 70 years old, enjoy community work, support the leadership of the Communist Party of China, are politically sensitive and responsible, law-abiding and familiar with the interpersonal relationships in the community, according to a recruitment notice at Beijing’s Zhongguanyuan community.

An employee of Zhongguanyuan community office confirmed the recruitment when reached by the Global Times on Thursday, but declined to further comment.

Another community office at Haidian district’s Yongding Road also completed recruitment of “stability information staff” in May, an unnamed employee told the Global Times on Thursday.

To update anti-terror and anti-violence work in the capital, Beijing launched a safeguarding project in 2014, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

A team of 100,000 people composed of street patrollers, migrant population administrators and security volunteers has been formed since 2014 at various communities.

The team has since become an important asset for collecting relevant information on terrorism and violence, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

Information staff have also been recruited in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province since 2013, cncv.gov.cn reported, noting that the team was formed in Xibin community, Daqing city to establish a network of prevention and control.

A special training course for information staff was held from November 29 to December 2, 2017 in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, to advance team building, news website workercn.cn reported.