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Super cop shines as new commissioner

Newly appointed Criminal Investigation Bureau chief Hou You-yi waits for the swearing-in ceremony to begin yesterday. PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

For the 70,000 police officers in Taiwan, Hou You-yi (侯友宜) is the man of the week after he became the youngest-ever commissioner of the country's National Police Administration's (NPA) Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Thursday.

The commissioner's position is only open to those who have achieved the rank designated by three stripes and three stars insignia -- which is the second-top rank a police officer can achieve. The top-ranking position is the director-general of the NPA, which is designated by three stripes and four stars.

The former NPA Public Relations Department Director Wang Lung (王隆), who took over Hou's previous position as the chief officer of the Taoyuan County Police Department, is five years older than Hou and joined the force six year before Hou did.

The 46-year-old super cop's success did not take place for nothing. Throughout Hou's 23-year career, he has been through many life-threatening situations.

In addition, his humble attitude has earned him a great reputation among his fellow officers.

Regarding his career, he said, "I just always happened to be in the right place at the right time and did what I was supposed to do. That is all." When he passed the Joint College Entrance Exam in 1976, Hou, a native of Chiayi County, had a chance to become a junior high school teacher because he gained admission to the Industrial Education Department of the National Taiwan Normal University (國立師範大學).

However, he decided to become a freshman at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Central Police University (CPU) instead because, he said, he loves to spend his time investigating crimes and helping innocent people.

In 1980, Hou graduated with the honor of not having missed a single day of class throughout his four-year study in college.

"To receive such an honor at CPU, the student must not get sick or quit any required training courses, whether the course work is physical or academic, during his four years at school. It's a rare honor indeed," said Lieutenant Lee, a division captain at the CPU.

Hou was assigned to the Taipei City Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corp (CIC) as a division leader right after he finished school. In 1986, he was promoted to section chief there. Two years later, he was transferred to the city police's Chungshan Precinct -- a precinct with the nickname of "the No. 1 precinct in Taiwan" because of its proximity to a great number of hostess bars, as the precinct's Criminal Investigation Section chief.

In 1990, he became the deputy chief of the CIC. Two years later, he was transferred to CIB as an inspector there. In 1995, he officially took the chief officer's office of the city police's Criminal Investigation Division. In 1998, he was promoted as the deputy commissioner of the CIB. In 2001, he became chief of the Taoyuan County Police Department.

Hou became well-known after he arrested Liang Kuo-kai (梁國愷), a notorious gangster, murderer and most-wanted fugitive, in 1984.

In 1990, he arrested another notorious gangster and murderer Hu Gwan-bao (胡關寶), who had murdered two military guards in Hsinchu and kidnapped Taishin Financial Holding Co Chairman Eric Wu (吳東亮).

Hou successfully talked Hu into confessing to the crimes and divulging the location of a buried rifle, which was a key piece of evidence.

Hu was the first gangster and murderer in Taiwan who possessed a bachelor's degree. When the police trapped him in Hsintien and tried to arrest him, Hou was the officer who tackled him and handcuffed him in person, while Hu was fully armed.

According to the police's file records, Hu refused to cooperate with investigators after he was arrested.

In addition, officers were eager to find a rifle, which was believed to have been used by Hu to murder two military guards in Hsinchu.

To make Hu talk, Hou visited Hu at the Taipei Detention House every day, and finally persuaded him that he should have told the truth and the rifle's whereabouts. Six months later, the police found the evidence at a location in the middle of nowhere in Hsintien after Hu pointed it out to the authorities.

Hu told judges that Hou was the only officer he wanted to confess to because Hou made him feel guilty about what he had done and he believed that Hou was indeed trying to help him face his own sins bravely. So he decided to locate the rifle and confess to the crimes he committed.

Although Hou is a super cop, his son's death on May 15, 1992 made him think about leaving the force.

Hou's son, Michael, died in a minor traffic accident that later caused the bus he was riding on caught fire. The bus fire claimed 23 lives. Of the 23, 20 were kindergarten kids. Michael was one of them.

Hou once said that he would do whatever it took to bring Michael back. He seriously thought about his career and questioned whether he should stay on the force.

"I spent most of my life protecting Taiwanese citizens but I could not do anything about my son's death," he said.

His then-supervisors, Taipei City Police Department Commissioner Yen Shih-hsi (顏世錫) and CIC chief Chang You-wen (張友文) encouraged him to continue his job and that was why Hou is still on the force today.

Hou and his wife had another baby boy the next year. Their second son was born on May 14, one day earlier than the anniversary of their first son's death.

"My first son's death struck me hard. However, God gave me another son and it seemed to be a sign to encourage me to go on," Hou said.

The 1997 hostage crisis at McGill Alexander's Tienmu residence was the case that made Hou a national hero.

Alexander was South Africa's military's attache to Taiwan at the time. On Nov. 18, 1997, Alexander drove home around 6pm. However, Chen Chin-hsing (陳進興), Taiwan's most notorious criminal -- who abducted and murdered TV entertainer Pai Ping-ping's (白冰冰) 17-year-old daughter Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕) in the same year -- followed him into the house. Wielding three pistols, Chen secured Alexander, his wife, two daughters and adopted infant son then waited for the police to zero in. Both the police and the media flocked to the scene in droves.

Hou tried to build up a "mutual understanding" with Chen by introducing himself by name and rank when he arrived at the scene.

"I was trying to talk him down," said Hou. "But this man was too crazy to be persuaded. I had to communicate with him in the way he preferred." In Chen's frenzied spray of bullets, Alexander and his daughter Melanie were wounded.

Chen asked Hou to send nurses and doctors inside the house for the wounded hostages. Hou told him that nobody could come into the house because he was a dangerous man. Chen then asked Hou to walk in alone without weapons.

Hou successfully dragged Alexander and Melanie out of the house. After that, he continued to negotiate with Chen. Within the next 18 hours, Chen gradually released another two hostages, including the infant boy and another daughter of Alexander's.

At approximately 7:54pm on Nov. 19, Chen finally decided to release the last hostage, surrender and walk into Hou's custody. This event was broadcast nationally, making Hou an instant hero.

"Before this case, police in Taiwan had never had a situation involving hostages and negotiations," Hou said. "I was only thinking about saving the hostages and arresting Chen. During the negotiations, I was not thinking about whether Chen would lie to me or shoot me."

Alexander wrote of Hou's rescue in his book Hostage in Taipei: "I believe that was the bravest act by any man that I have ever witnessed."
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