Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 351 Active in cracking down on prostitution, but not so active in cracking down on thieves.

Wu Zhiyuan then asked Fan Xiaoyong, "Mayor Fan, if we remove 80% of the inflated figures, what is the completion rate of Daling Town's investment attraction and market entity cultivation targets for this year?"

Like a child being scolded for making a mistake, Fan Xiaoyong stammered, "If we only count the actual figures, it might... it might not even be 20%."

He added, "County Chief Wu, the figures in other townships are also quite high."

There isn't a single township that's completely free of any exaggeration, not even Chengguan Town.

Just like GDP, in our impoverished townships, it's already good if we can achieve two or three percent, but can we report it truthfully?

The county's target is to achieve a growth rate of over 10%, but we need to report at least 7% or 8%.

It's not that we don't want to be realistic, it's that we dare not be realistic!

Wu Zhiyuan knew that the GDP data was inflated; it was an open secret.

But Fan Xiaoyong's statement, "It's not that we don't want to be realistic, it's that we dare not be realistic," is thought-provoking.

Wu Zhiyuan's gaze fell on Ma Zhenshan and Fan Xiaoyong: "Have you ever thought about who will ultimately be harmed by this trend of deception?"

Ma Zhenshan and Fan Xiaoyong lowered their heads, not daring to respond.

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "It's the ordinary people who are suffering! It's the future of Qingyan County that's being harmed!"

He raised his voice: "Because the numbers look good, the higher-ups will think we're doing well, so they won't give us more policy support."

Because the numbers look good, we become complacent and stop thinking about how to solve the real problems.

Because the numbers look good, those who actually do the work are seen as the odd ones out, while the townships that honestly report the numbers suffer the consequences.

In the end, fabricated figures become perceived as genuine achievements, while real problems are concealed. This is a vicious cycle!

Wu Zhiyuan paused, his tone gradually softening: "I'm not trying to hold anyone responsible. I know the root of the problem doesn't lie with you, and you all have your own unspeakable difficulties."

However, starting today, I hope you can have a clear understanding:

Deception may fool people for a while, but it won't fool them forever.

He might keep his position, but he couldn't keep his conscience.

Ma Zhenshan looked helpless: "County Chief Wu, your criticism is correct, every word is reasonable. But we really have no other choice."

The annual targets set by the county are very strict. Failure to meet them means no chance of being recognized for awards or commendations, impacts on cadre promotions, and may even lead to job reassignment or accountability measures.

We bear the responsibility for the development of the entire town, and also for the future of all the town's officials.

Fan Xiaoyong chimed in: "County Chief Wu, the same principle applies to GDP and fixed asset investment data as well."

The higher-ups want growth, speed, and ranking.

We reported too little, which dragged down the county's overall performance. The county leaders were unhappy and felt that we were not doing a good job.

We've reported too much, and we feel uneasy about it, knowing it's all just castles in the air.

But everyone does it this way, and if we are too honest, it will make us seem incompetent.

To be honest, we also feel tired and frustrated, but that's just how reality is.

Wu Zhiyuan listened quietly without interrupting them.

He could understand the predicament of Ma Zhenshan and Fan Xiaoyong.

Grassroots cadres, especially those at the township level, are at the very end of policy implementation. They often face a situation where "there are a thousand threads above, but only one needle below," with various assessments, evaluations, inspections, and supervisions piling up at each level, creating immense pressure.

In order to complete the task and avoid being "vetoed," sometimes it is necessary to take some unconventional or even illegal measures.

After the two finished speaking, Wu Zhiyuan slowly opened his mouth, his tone no longer as stern as before: "Secretary Ma, Mayor Fan, I understand the difficulties at the grassroots level, and your difficulties."

I am not a saint detached from worldly affairs, and I will not stand on moral high ground to point fingers.

If I were in your position, facing the same problem, I would probably be torn as well.

While it's understandable, Qingyan County can't continue like this.

Today, I'd like to make a statement here.

I will propose a new assessment method for the targets of doubling the number of market entities and attracting investment at the county level.

The assessment will not be based solely on numbers or reports, but solely on actual performance and the well-being of the people.

When attracting investment, we should focus on whether it is implemented, put into production, and creates jobs.

Market entities should be evaluated based on their actual business operations, tax payments, and their contribution to increasing the income of the local population.

What we want is not impressive results on paper, but real changes in Qingyan County and tangible income in the pockets of ordinary people.

Deception won't bring a good life, and self-deception won't bring real development...

Xia Lin, the head of the town's police station, has arrived.

"County Chief Wu, I was handling a dispute just now, and I rushed over here as soon as I received the call..."

Wu Zhiyuan got straight to the point: "Director Xia, today in Xigou Village, I heard many people complaining about public security issues."

There have been multiple cases of stolen cattle, goats, and poultry. The public has reported the thefts, but the cases remain unsolved and no satisfactory explanation has been given to the people.

People can't sleep peacefully at night anymore; they're even afraid their chickens and ducks will be stolen.

Xia Lin quickly explained, "County Chief Wu, our police station is already aware of this situation."

Rural theft cases, especially those involving the theft of livestock and poultry, have their own unique characteristics.

Most of the crimes occurred late at night. Xigou Village is a mountainous village with a vast area and sparse population. The scattered and remote locations make it difficult to leave valuable clues at the scene, and there is also a lack of surveillance coverage.

Suspects often commit crimes while traveling, quickly moving their loot after a successful crime, and their channels for selling stolen goods are well-hidden, making the investigation extremely difficult.

"We only have six regular police officers in our station, and we have to be responsible for the security of more than a dozen villages in the whole town. Our police force is really stretched thin..."

Wu Zhiyuan interrupted his explanation: "Director Xia, how many times have you been to Xigou Village? Don't lie."

Xia Lin blushed and said with a stiff upper lip, "I only came to Daling Town two years ago, and I haven't been to Xigou Village yet."

Wu Zhiyuan continued, "Chief Xia, tell me, how many theft cases have been reported in Xigou Village this year?"

Xia Lin stammered, "About...about four or five cases."

"Approximately? You're the station chief, and you can only say 'approximately' about the number of cases in your jurisdiction?"

So, in your mind, is the sense of security among ordinary people only "approximately"?

Seeing that the county magistrate was backing him up, the villagers nearby grew bolder and chimed in with their own comments:

"It's not just four or five cases; as far as I know, there are more than a dozen."

My sheep were stolen, I reported it to the police, but there's still no news.

"My twelve old hens were stolen too. A policeman came, walked around, and then left."

"Last year, Old Li's ox was stolen, and it's still not recovered."

"What crime solved? They've never solved a single case, okay? Otherwise, how could thieves be so rampant!"

……

Xia Lin's face flushed red and then turned pale, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

He kept explaining, for example, that there were insufficient police officers, the mountains were high and the roads were long, there was no surveillance, and there was a lack of funding...

One villager said, "County Chief Wu, the police station is very proactive in cracking down on gambling. In our Xigou Village, a group of people were gambling by playing Pai Gow in the mountains earlier this year. The police station arrested more than a dozen of them, and each of them was fined."

Another villager said, "The police station is very proactive in cracking down on prostitution. There's a cement factory and a coal mine in the town, and many of the coal miners are from other provinces."

There's a red-light district in town, where coal miners sometimes go to spend money.

I heard that the police station raids prostitution dens every now and then, fining people a lot of money, and the red-light district still exists today.

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "Director Xia, is it true that the villagers were very active in cracking down on gambling and prostitution?"

Xia Lin argued, "County Chief Wu, this is a misunderstanding of our work by the masses."

Combating prostitution, gambling, and drugs is a statutory duty of our public security organs and an important task in maintaining social order and purifying social morality. We…”

Wu Zhiyuan didn't give him a chance to beat around the bush and interrupted directly: "Director Xia, don't try to change the subject. I'm asking if this really happened?"

The villagers nearby testified: "It's true. The group playing dominoes on the back hill was all arrested by the police station, and each of them was fined three thousand."

"My brother-in-law works in a coal mine. He said that the street in town has been a hotbed of prostitutes for years. The police station comes to arrest them every few days, fines them, releases them after the fine, and then they go back to work a few days later. They treat arresting prostitutes as a cash cow."

"When it comes to cracking down on gambling and prostitution, the police car arrives incredibly fast, faster than putting out a fire."

"Our cow went missing, we called the police, but we've been waiting for ages and no one's shown up."

"That's right, catching thieves is time-consuming and laborious, and you don't even get much money back."

Arresting prostitutes and gamblers? Just stand there and the money's in your hands.

"If I were in that situation, I'd be happy to do this business too."

Xia Lin weakly defended himself: "There have been crackdowns, but they were all carried out in accordance with laws and regulations."

Wu Zhiyuan stared at Xia Lin: "Director Xia, look at the public resentment!"

Does "following the law and regulations" mean you can selectively enforce the law?

"Does 'acting according to laws and regulations' mean you should focus on cases that bring in money, while dealing with minor cases concerning the vital interests and safety of ordinary people by being perfunctory and shirking responsibility?"

Wu Zhiyuan's voice grew increasingly stern: "Director Xia, let me tell you the reason why we are so proactive in cracking down on gambling and prostitution."

Because they can issue fines! It's profitable! Fines bring in funds for the office, right?

Could there even be people who benefit from this?

Catching thieves, especially those stealing cattle or chickens, is time-consuming and laborious, clues are hard to find, and there's little benefit to solving the case.

For you, it's a losing proposition, isn't it?

But you need to understand, you are the people's police!

Police stations are part of the state apparatus; they are law enforcement agencies responsible for upholding social fairness and justice and protecting the lives and property of the people!

It is not a commercial company, nor is it a money-making tool for profit!

Your funding is guaranteed by the government, and your performance is reflected in your case-solving rate and public satisfaction, not in the amount of fines and confiscations collected!

Looking at the growing number of villagers, Wu Zhiyuan continued, "For ordinary people, raising an ox might be their savings of several years, and it is their main source of labor for plowing and tilling the land."

Raising a few chickens and selling their eggs to buy oil and salt is an important source of livelihood.

The theft of these items may seem like a minor case to you, but it's a huge deal for ordinary people!

It's a matter of their livelihood, a matter of whether they can survive!

Your approach to handling cases, which prioritizes fines over the well-being of the people, is a serious dereliction of duty, a disgrace to police responsibility, and a betrayal of the public's trust!