Crime has become a major concern for Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) ahead of the Nov. 27 mayoral election for Greater Taichung, with the city having become the center of a series of violent crimes in recent weeks.
While under normal circumstances the murder of alleged gangster Weng Chi-nan (翁奇楠) in his office last month would have been regarded as a regular homicide in Taichung or any other city in Taiwan, it turned into a scandal and soon became the object of public discussion after it was revealed that one retired and four active police officers were present at the scene of the crime, but did nothing to intervene.
A recent poll by the Chinese-language United Daily News showed that the recent crime wave in Taichung has had a negative impact on Hu’s popularity.
PHOTO: CHANG HSIEH-SHENG, TAIPEI TIMES
Hu said he would not disappoint his supporters.
“I will not be defeated by this crime problem,” he said.
Yang Yung-nane (楊永年), associate vice president for research and development at National Cheng Kung University, said that as Taichung is at the geographical center of the country, with convenient public transportation and a well-organized road system, people are understandably attracted to it — including underworld figures.
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Hu acknowledged in September 2008 that the city has topped the entire country in terms of its crime rate for the past 15 years, with more than 5,000 crimes committed per 100,000 residents. According to the Taichung City Government Web site, the figure last year was 1,232 per 100,000 residents and 365.07 per 100,000 between January and April this year.
A former police officer, Yang said Taichung police had enough manpower when the Taiwan Province Government still existed, but since then, most officers have been transferred to other areas.
The city government’s Web site shows that Taichung has 2,486 police officers. On average, each officer is responsible for the safety of 412 citizens. Taipei City has 7,642 police officers, each responsible for the safety of 343 citizens, while Kaohsiung City has 4,303 police officers, each responsible for 352 citizens.
Yang said the special food chain between politics, police and the local hostess bar business — which is run by gang members — was a major problem, as was the fact that local politicians rely on gang members for financial help.
Police rely on politicians for their annual budgets, while gang members rely on a certain level of “tolerance” by police for their survival, he said.
“Crime in Taichung has been a problem for years,” he said. “The real problem behind crime is politics. How to fight such politics will be a major challenge for the mayor.”
A Taichung police officer said on condition of anonymity that hierarchical problems in the police force could be one of the reasons why the crime rate there remains higher than in other regions.
“Most Taichung officers are native [to Taichung]. However, most Taichung police chiefs were transferred from other bureaus or departments [in other parts of the country],” he said. “They cannot really understand what the local police are thinking because most get promoted and transferred to other positions within a few years.”
The officer said many of his coworkers felt frustrated whenever officers were accused of being connected with or having close ties to gang members.
“I don’t even know how to respond to this,” he said.
Sandy Yeh (葉毓蘭), an associate professor at Central Police University’s (CPU) department of foreign affairs, said the mayor should be more supportive of the police force.
“The mayor’s attitude toward the police is quite important. With his support, police will be able to enforce the law in the streets without hesitation,” Yeh said.
She said that having too many hostess bars in Taichung could be another major problem and that law-enforcement may not have sufficient resources to fight crime should the situation deteriorate.
Frank Huang (黃富源), an Examination Yuan member and an adjunct professor at the CPU’s department of crime prevention, agreed that the mayor’s attitude was key.
“Fixing the crime problem will require the participation of every resident. It’s not the responsibility of the mayor only,” he said. “That being said, the mayor should show his determination [to fight crime].”
Turning to the National Police Agency’s deployment of 41 SWAT team members to help maintain public order in Taichung, Huang said that while the move may help Hu’s re-election bid in the year-end election, it would not resolve the city’s crime problem for good.
“The problem involves society, culture, education and politics. We must fix them all,” Huang said. “The power of all the residents combined is much greater than that of the mayor alone. If Hu manages to make everybody care [about the problem], the crime rate will drop.”
Huang called on police to abide by stricter rules when it comes to having relationships with gang members.
“While police officers must come in contact with gang members for investigation purposes, they must also be taught how to protect themselves against potential lures while doing so,” Huang said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS