FUZHOU: On a scorching day in late August, Xu Weiwei queued up for a ferry to Huanggua Island, holding a heavy sleeping bag, peanut oil and packets of noodles for his fellow residents on the island.
There is no police station on Huanggua Island off the coast of east China’s Fujian Province, and Xu, a policeman in his mid-30s, has been guarding the island for six years. Xu’s only companion, if any, is a sleeping bag. Though he is primarily a policeman, his responsibilities extend much beyond that.
Xu is one of more than a dozen local police personnel stationed on remote islands without police stations, providing doorstep government services for community residents. “We run as many errands as we can so that the islanders can enjoy a convenient life,” Xu said. “We pay particular attention to the needs of those who cannot travel far.”
“Weiwei, here you are,” Wu Guoqiang, a 77-year-old villager, greeted Xu standing at the gate of his house. After receiving a packet of noodles, Wu beamed a warm smile.
“Take care and call me if you need anything,” Xu said before parting, as the two shook hands.
There are more than 5,000 registered villagers on Huanggua Island, but only one-fifth are permanent residents. They earn a living by engaging in fishing and animal husbandry.
“A considerable number of elderly villagers are no longer able to travel across the sea,” Xu said, adding that he regularly visits them to learn about their conditions and to deliver them daily essentials.b\ Xu also offers household registration services at the residential committee’s office during the day, so that villagers don’t have to travel long distances to nearby towns across the strait, and he is always on standby to resolve occasional disputes in the community. He needs to patrol the island at night in case any smugglers risk the safety of the locals by sneaking ashore.
Due to limited ferries, Xu cannot always return home after getting off work. He occasionally spends the night at the homes of other villagers in a sleeping bag, earning him the nickname “sleeping-bag policeman.” –Agencies
