Changhua County Traffic Police Brigade Commander Chi Hsiao-su (紀孝蘇) has been collecting police actions figures for about 15 years and has more than 100 of them.
He said he became an enthusiast in 2001 when a friend gave him an action figure and he has since searched the Internet, flea markets and police fraternity houses, as well as traded with other police officers to add new pieces to his collection.
The trove of action figures are on display on the shelves of his office, with models of police officers of both genders in caricature as well as realistic styles, with some saluting, some conducting traffic and some adorned in special forces gear.
Photo: Tang Shih-ming, Taipei Times
The action figures are a record of the changing public image of the police force, reflected through their changing uniforms and aesthetics through the years, he said.
Chi said his most prized item is a custom-made figure. Chi’s subordinate in the county’s Tianjhong Precinct (田中), where Chi served as a deputy chief, had the figurine manufactured in Chi’s image as a parting gift when Chi left the unit.
The figurine became a memento of great sentimental value when the officer who gave it died of an illness less than a year later, he said.
Chi said that his collection is more than a hobby and that he had given many duplicate figurines to visitors to help improve the relationship between the community and police.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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