The branding of a young girl's chest by an off-duty police officer, a case that surfaced earlier this month, has not only raised questions about the officer's mental condition but also concerns about the methods police administration officials use to detect and handle mental problems among its officers.
On March 16, a 29-year-old police officer Feng Te-ming (
There he allegedly used heated steel wires to brand the chest of the 17-year-old girl after he claimed that she was a prostitute and deserved "punishment."
Feng branded two Chinese characters "yeh mao" (
In the wake of the case's discovery earlier this month, Feng was fired and 12 other officers and officials were given demerits.
Wu Ming-hsiang (
Which raises the question: Is there any institution in the police force serving the purposes of detecting and resolving mental difficulties of police officers?
There is. Since 1991 every police-station-level police unit is required to set up a task force responsible for offering counseling services to the unit's members.
The task forces nationwide have a common title "Teacher Kuan" (
Feng Te-ming also had a Teacher Hsieh. In the 675-member Peace Preservation Corps, every section that consists of 80 to 90 policemen has a Teacher Hsieh.
In a section, normally the Teacher Hsieh is the vice section chief or a subsection chief, Wu said. The Teacher Hsiehs must regularly attended mental counseling courses, but don't necessarily have any formal background in psychology.
The Taipei Times spoke with Feng's Teacher Hsieh. The senior subsection chief, who is nearing retirement, said he and Feng had little contact after the incident was uncovered, "much like before it happened."
"There was little talk between Feng and myself," he said.
When asked about Feng's mental state when he committed the offense, his Teacher Hsieh said he was unsure.
"I don't know what his condition is. After the incident I spoke with him twice on the phone, and told him not to get too depressed," he said.
Even the Counseling Subdivision, Education Division, of the National Police Administration recognizes that the Teacher Kuan or Teacher Hsieh system has significant limitations.
"Police officers feel uneasy talking about their troubles when these counselors are -- at the same time -- their superiors," one official at the division said.
But the current Teacher Kuan system is already a great improvement on its predecessor, officials added.
Before 1991, the counselors were police inspectors, who were also in charge of police disciplinary affairs.
Under that arrangement the system further deterred police officers from seeking assistance.
A big problem is that trust between police officers and Teacher Kuans is lacking, said Shen Sheng-ang (
"It may be that [the fact] inspectors played the role previously now makes police officers uncertain so they feel that talking about their troubles is a risk to their careers," Shen said.
Another question about the Teacher Kuan system is the professionalism of the "teachers." Most are just police cadres who have been selected according to some loose criteria; that is to say, friendliness or those who are willing to help others. Before they begin, few have had any formal training in psychological counseling.
To supplement the Teacher Kuans, the NPA introduced outside mental counseling to the force two years ago.
"Police station-level units must actively invite in local social resources such as social work agencies, psychiatric departments of hospitals and so forth," a counseling subdivision official said.
"Having in hand the information provided by these non-police, voluntary counselors, police officers who feel in need of help can simply go to them without going through their superiors."
The effectiveness of this new approach is still hard to evaluate and some counselors say they are never called on.
Shen doubted the effectiveness of the approach.
"We just passively receive people who think they have problems. But people who are mentally disturbed are not necessarily aware of it, nor would they necessarily come to us seeking assistance," he said.
"Education in everyday life is crucial."
Police forces currently include lectures about mental health in their regular education and training programs that are normally held every three months. The Taipei Peace Preservation Corps, for example, invites lecturers from the well-known non-official Teacher Chang Youth Counseling Center (
Fang Yi-hui (方逸蕙), a mental health counselor from the center, said superiors and colleagues should pay more attention to their fellow police officers. "So if someone appears to be abnormal, his supervisor could adjust his job or ask him to go to mental counseling," Fang said.
Fang suggests that the work of mental health counseling of police be contracted to professional and non-official units to ensure professionalism.
Shen, on the other hand, suggests that police officers periodically take compulsory mental condition examinations, perhaps, once a year.
"Because mental health conditions do vary from time to time, the passing of a mental health examination before graduating from a police institute or university does not guarantee one will always do well in the future."
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
RSS