Crisis center helps urban patrol officers manage stress
China’s first psychological crisis intervention center for urban patrol officers, who usually work in a hostile environment, has been established in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
According to the Nanjing Urban Management Bureau, psychological experts will be invited to give lessons and consult with workers in need. Workers in the city’s 11 districts will be trained at the center to better manage the officers’ psychological problems.
Ding Yi, deputy director of the bureau’s publicity department, said that urban patrol officers, known as chengguan, have been under greater pressure since an officer was killed by a vendor in September.
Ren Keming, the 45-yearold officer, was stabbed when he stopped a vendor without legal documents from selling fruit by the roadside.
“We want to find a way to ease pressure on our workers, as well as deal with other psychological problems,” Ding said. “Vendors are also welcome to consult the experts at the center about their problems.”
The vendor who killed Ren had marriage issues, and the tragedy might not have happened if he had sought help.
Statistics from the Nanjing Urban Management Administrative Law Enforcement Corps show that 369 people or groups had fights with its officers since 2014. Sixty-one cases were reported from January to September this year.
The city has more than 2,000 chengguan, who have duties such as keeping the roads clean, demolishing illegal buildings and controlling illegal parking.
“Many of my colleagues have been confused and sad since Ren’s tragic death,” said Ge Yong, who works for the urban management department in Gulou district.
“Wounds on our bodies can be healed easily, but psychological damage is not that easy to deal with.”
Zhang Chun, director of the Nanjing Psychological Crisis Intervention Center, said many people sympathize with roadside vendors, who are usually poor and have families to support, and who lack respect for work of the chengguan.
“Urban management workers nationwide have invented various ways to avoid conflict with others, such as presenting flowers to the vendors,” Zhang said.
“If the workers find that they have problems such as insomnia or irritability, or are easily distracted, they’d better seek help from psychologists or professional agencies immediately.”