Chapter 85

The police station is part of the township, and the car is for the police station's use, but ultimately it still belongs to the township.

This isn't a donation; it's like moving something from one pocket to another, a rational use of resources. Manager Wang's words make sense.

Why not use a good car? The lack of procedures isn't a problem for the police station.

The car keys were found, but the car wouldn't start.

Three of the four tires were flat, and the battery was dead, so it wouldn't start.

The dead battery was easy to fix; Chen Meng could drive car No. 7 over and connect it with a cable with clips on both ends, and it would start right away. As for the tires, they could jack up the car, remove the wheels, and replace them with something to prop it up. They could remove all four wheels and send them, along with the spare tire, to the car repair shop in Liuxia.

Having an additional good car would significantly improve the conditions for handling cases.

The staffing issue would be resolved soon, and with a car to drive, Chen Meng was busy and in high spirits.

The "Anti-Trafficking Campaign" would start with a lot of expenses, and they couldn't focus on just one car. After thanking Manager Wang repeatedly, he took his bag and went to other places to continue seeking support.

After a round of visits, the results were not significant.

All the enterprises in Liangzhuang had been influenced by Old Lu and had a tradition of "resisting donations."

The brick and tile factory said they were short on funds but could provide some broken bricks for the police station. If they needed to build a wall, a small house, or a path, they could come and take them. The building materials and machinery factory was quite enthusiastic, offering a pile of IOUs and suggesting a partnership. They wanted money, so they proposed that Chen Meng help them collect debts in exchange for a commission.

The oil mill was the most generous, sponsoring 300 pounds of oil tickets.

Considering that the police station might use this oil to provide benefits to the police officers and the auxiliary police, they specifically chose 5-pound tickets.

...

Fortunately, they didn't rely on the enterprises, or they would have starved to death.

Back at the office, Xiao Ren was organizing the auxiliary police to study laws and regulations in the canteen. The dormitories on the west side were under construction, and the workers were well-informed. They whispered and gossiped, saying that everything was being prepared for a "study class."

Zhou Zhengfa's arrival confirmed this.

The Comprehensive Governance Office is a functional department of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, responsible for organizing, managing, and coordinating social security comprehensive governance.

The township doesn't have a Political and Legal Affairs Commission, only a vice-secretary in charge of political and legal comprehensive governance, who is not a full-time official. With weak leadership, the auxiliary police were under the jurisdiction of the police station, and Zhou Zhengfa, carrying a sign alone, was in a somewhat awkward position.

"Simple villagers buying wives to continue their lineage, how big of a deal is it? There are countless cases like this in the county. Should people be condemned to a lifetime of bachelorhood!"

According to Secretary Lu's instructions, they were to help the police station clean up the mess from the anti-trafficking campaign. Thinking about the possible chain reactions, Zhou Zhengfa felt a headache and said angrily, "The common people are stubborn. They watch each other closely. Why can he do it and I can't? If we arrest them, we should arrest everyone, or not arrest anyone at all. You can arrest in Liangzhuang, but what about Dinghu and Liuxia?

My Deputy County Magistrate Han, in just over a month, it will be 1997, and Hong Kong will return. From the central government to the provincial, municipal, and county levels, everyone is emphasizing stability above all. You can't do this; you're escalating the conflict and undermining social stability."

The aftermath would be very complicated, and he could understand his frustration.

Moreover, as he said, social stability has been a very important keyword in national governance over the years.

Trafficking in women and children is a problem from the old society. The anti-trafficking efforts are "done but not spoken about," not reported in the media, not broadcast on TV, and not included in the evaluation system.

To arrest so many people on a large scale, in his view, would be like poking a hornet's nest.

Han Bo handed him a cigarette and smiled, asking, "Director Zhou, do you think the problem is so serious because the police are afraid to tackle trafficking?"

"If they were brave, why didn't they do it earlier?"

"At the beginning of the reform and opening up, with the marketization of the economy and increased population mobility, trafficking in women and children became more rampant. The Ministry of Public Security and the All-China Women's Federation formed a team to investigate the main destinations of trafficking, including Dongshan and our Jiang Province, and wrote a report to the central government. Subsequently, the central government issued documents requiring a firm crackdown on trafficking in women and children.

I asked the old-timers, and they said the efforts were significant. They rescued women by the trainload. The reason it didn't continue wasn't because the police were afraid to act, but because they lacked the funds! Ninety percent of the police departments nationwide had no special funds for anti-trafficking. The lack of funds limited the depth of the anti-trafficking efforts. On average, rescuing one trafficked woman or child costs 20,000 to 30,000 yuan, and handling a gang case can cost hundreds of thousands of yuan, with major gang cases requiring millions of yuan..."

"They don't have the money, but you do?"

"I'll do what I can with the resources I have, and rescue as many as I can."

Bookworm, absolute bookworm.

No wonder he was sent to Liangzhuang; such a person couldn't stay in the bureau, and no one would like him.

Zhou Zhengfa muttered under his breath and said irritably, "You have some public security and auxiliary police funds, and you get a little fine money back. What do I have in the Comprehensive Governance Office? Nothing! I can help you coordinate with the units and clean up the mess, but the funds must come from your police station."

If a problem can be solved with money, it's not a problem. They could figure out where to get the money later.

Han Bo took out a draft plan and chuckled, "Director Zhou, the funds are not a problem; you can rest assured. Here's what I'm thinking: our police station is short-staffed, and once the operation starts, we'll be fully focused on the cases. The trafficked women will need to be brought in for questioning and evidence collection, and some have children. Especially those who have just been rescued, they need to be examined to see if they have been harmed..."

"The Women's Federation will be involved, and the health center will cooperate. If there aren't enough people, we can draw on the women's committee members from the villages, and if that's not enough, we can draw on female teachers from Liangzhuang Middle School and Liangzhuang Primary School?"

"Pretty much, and we need to consider the families in the villages, especially those with elderly who need care."

The plan was as meticulous as the one for cracking down on illegal silk traders. Zhou Zhengfa was thoroughly impressed and pointed at him, saying, "Han Bo, I guarantee that after the operation, you'll be the most hated official in the entire township. Everywhere you go, people will curse you, and everywhere you go, people will point at your back."

"I believe you. I don't need to wait for the operation to end; right now, not many people like me. Secretary Lu said that being a police officer doesn't require people to like you; it requires them to fear you. Wherever you stand, without saying a word or taking action, no one, good or bad, will dare to move."

"You, I won't argue with you. Have Old Wang prepare an office for me."

Zhou Zhengfa is actually a good person, straightforward and quick to speak, and he deeply respects Old Lu. As long as it's Old Lu's instruction, he will implement it without reservation. Han Bo stood up and pointed to the chair, smiling, "No need to prepare, sit here. Director Zhou, from today on, this is your office."

...

PS: I suddenly feel numbness in my hands and face. With responsibilities both above and below, I can't afford to have anything happen. I'm a bit scared and will go to the hospital to check. These two chapters are not well written; please bear with them for now.

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