Recently, a video has been rapidly circulating on the internet, sparking heated discussions. The video shows a man in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, starting his own business by setting up a private police station. With the ability to respond quickly and efficiently solve problems, he managed to snatch nearly a hundred cases from the hands of the official police within just half a year, earning over a million yuan. Analysts and scholars express that this ironic phenomenon in China indicates the profound chaos present in Chinese society.
The video, posted on social media platform X and Chinese networks, depicts two women seeking help at the Xi’an Railway Station police station. They claimed to be police officers on a mission but could not reach their leader at a critical moment and did not know how to proceed with their task. Therefore, they hoped the station police could help contact their captain.
Upon learning that the women were not legitimate officers, the police asked for their captain’s name and badge number. The women only knew the captain’s surname, Zhao, but had no other information. It turned out they belonged to a group called the “Front Station Plainclothes Team,” a bunch of young individuals impersonating police officers on duty. They wore police uniforms, badges, carried walkie-talkies, appearing indistinguishable from real police officers. Instead of following proper procedures or conducting investigations, they acted directly, resulting in remarkably high efficiency in handling cases. However, they often mistakenly targeted innocent individuals, who, unaware of their badge numbers, could only file complaints at the nearest police station. Initially perplexed by these incidents, the station police received numerous complaints within half a year, with almost every nearby station encountering similar situations.
The two women were detained for impersonating police officers. From their confession, the police learned that there were 11 more “plainclothes police officers” lurking near the railway station, with a female named Zhao Xiuzhen acting as their team leader.
Investigations revealed that these “plainclothes police officers” were recent university graduates entering society. Approximately six months ago, Zhao Xiuzhen convinced their parents that the “Front Station Plainclothes Team” of Xi’an Railway Station was recruiting members with exceedingly lucrative benefits: a monthly salary of 2,800 yuan (about $385 USD), including meals and accommodation, with the promise of housing and official civil service positions upon employment.
Under Zhao Xiuzhen’s guidance, these individuals first obtained police officer certificates and then received police uniforms. After completing the necessary procedures, Zhao Xiuzhen collected varying fees ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan (about $4,128 to $6,880 USD) from each person, labeling them as entrance fees, housing deposits, equipment fees, and work permits within the police system. Following a few days of basic training, they were officially “on duty.”
However, as their enthusiasm waned, Zhao Xiuzhen introduced incentive policies, promising a 50 yuan bonus (about $6.88 USD) for every apprehended suspect, encouraging overtime and even taking on private tasks to earn additional income. They would arrive at the scene before official police responses, swiftly cracking cases in record time. Typically, they would coerce confessions from suspects before handing them over to Zhao Xiuzhen. Within less than half a year, they had resolved close to a hundred cases, bringing in over a million yuan through confiscated funds and subsequent bail payments.
Subsequently, Zhao Xiuzhen was arrested, and the police discovered forged police certificates in her belongings. Insisting on her police identity, she demanded to see her superior. When asked for the leader’s name, she responded, “Zhang Zhanghe, Deputy Chief Zhang.” The police then arrested and questioned Zhang Zhanghe, who swiftly confessed, revealing himself as the mastermind behind the scenes.
According to Zhang Zhanghe’s admission, he initially ventured into entrepreneurship, considering a police station to be a profitable venture due to its obscurity, extensive market, and potential earnings as a private entity. He purchased a police uniform, dubbing himself as the police chief. Later, he met Zhao Xiuzhen. Zhang Zhanghe provided Zhao Xiuzhen with a fake police uniform and a forged police certificate, appointing her as the “Chief Commander” of the “Front Station Plainclothes Team,” tasking her with recruitment responsibilities, leading to the aforementioned events.
As the operation expanded, to ensure proper financial flow, Zhang Zhanghe divided the acquired funds equally, half for the staff salaries and the remainder for himself. In the six months of operation, his financial management remained solvent, never defaulting on employee wages.
Zhang Zhanghe mentioned that if not for the two women seeking advice at the police station, he was preparing to establish a new team.
Netizens dubbed Zhang Zhanghe as a “business genius,” commenting that “fraudsters outperform the CCP yet again,” noting that “the combined six police stations couldn’t match their speed.”
On June 30th, former Beijing lawyer and Canadian Freedom Alliance Chairman Lai Jianping, in an interview with a reporter from Epoch Times, expressed that this situation is incredibly ironic.
Lai Jianping stated that historically, maintaining public order and enforcing laws has always been an inalienable government duty, with no society permitting civilians to assume the government’s core functions of maintaining order and safeguarding public interests. Otherwise, the government would lose its significance. However, Chinese police under the CCP are often depicted as colluding with criminals, primarily characterized by inaction and misconduct. Consequently, in the minds of the Chinese populace, the CCP’s police image lacks credibility and trustworthiness.
Lai Jianping remarked, “This occurrence vividly illustrates the deep-rooted corruption in China’s politics and bureaucracy. The police of the CCP are viewed as the worst and most untrustworthy individuals.” He further asserted that these private police stations cannot sustain long-term existence and will inevitably face suppression and crackdowns since they encroach upon the government’s authority, something the CCP will not tolerate.
Former Capital Normal University professor Li Yuanhua echoed similar sentiments, confirming that the existence of such a phenomenon highlights the significant disorder in Chinese society, reflecting the current lack of rule of law under the CCP. He emphasized that in a society governed by the rule of law, such circumstances would be inconceivable.
(Journalist Ning Xin made contributions to this article)