Two women wearing red armbands chat as they keep an eye on a street in Beijing. (Photo: Li Hao/GT)
Elderly security volunteers once seen as 'tipsters' now do their best to secure communities
Every time a major event takes place, such as the ongoing two legislative sessions in Beijing, elderly people wearing red armbands appear on the city's busy streets and down its dark alleys. From an amateur intelligence organ of the authorities to safeguarding and serving residential communities, the role of the group has gone through great changes as China's society transforms.
Despite the cold early March wind, 82-year-old Luo Chongchao kept a close watch on his patch of Beijing, on the lookout for anything unusual.
Occasionally some pedestrians passing by stopped and asked for directions. As he is getting hard of hearing, he would lean in to hear then and sometimes even walk with them for a few steps, making sure they understood where to go.
"When nothing happens [on the street], our main job is to give directions," said Luo, pointing to the red armband on his left arm that reads "Volunteer Security Guard."
While he performs his job of handing out directions diligently, such volunteers actually shoulder a serious duty. As his red band indicates, he is one of the thousands of volunteer security guards that are entrusted with helping to maintain security during the ongoing annual two legislative sessions.
Stationed in almost every corner of the capital, these retired people, mostly in their 60s and 70s, are helping to keep an eye on what happens in their communities.
"At such an age, we are not really able to work as security guards. The most we can do is report to the neighborhood committee whenever we notice something abnormal," said Luo.
Gao Zhihong, an 76-year-old man who patrols with Luo, says their "red bands" are deterrent for "bad people." "They would feel timid seeing the red bands, which will make them refrain from doing bad things in front of us," said Gao.
Intelligence gathering
Luo and Gao are two of the around 100 volunteers patrolling their neighborhood in Xinjie community, Chaoyang district, this year. Mainly retired people and elderly Party members, these people hit the streets when there are major events such as last year's military parade or after the 2009 riots in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in which at least 200 people died.
When it was Luo's shift last Tuesday, he spent four hours, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, at his post.
"It is not enforced, but we feel obliged to show up when it is our due," Gao said, "We're getting old and it's one of the few things we can do to help."
As security guards, they are asked to report anything or anybody that they find suspicious. Anything involving security, such as thefts, scuffles, fires or even killings fall into this category. "We can only spot things that are very obvious - we are not specially trained," said Luo, who is a Party member and army veteran.
"When something happens, we can at least report the involved person's appearance, clothes and age," Gao introduced, "When we spot somebody abnormal, we do not confront them directly. We will have one person chat with them and hold them there, and another goes to report to the security staff after saying they need to go to the toilet."
"It needs a lot of flexibility. We usually have at least two people here in case there is an emergency," Gao added.
But mostly the job is unexciting. They spend most of their time giving directions. For Luo, it is a good thing that they "harvest" nothing after a day. "It means the environment we live in is safe."
Luo and Guo are part of the Chaoyang qunzhong (the Chaoyang masses), a nickname for volunteers and citizens of the district who are the eyes and ears of the authorities.
People joke that the Chaoyang qunzhong are one of the top intelligence agencies in the world, because they were able to catch many celebrities taking drugs in recent years. Often, the police will announce that the Chaoyang qunzhong reported the stars' illicit pastime.
Wang Ting, vice director of the Hujialou neighborhood office, claims that the volunteers play a significant role in maintaining order.
"People will feel safer seeing 'red armbands' on the street. The volunteers contribute greatly to safety in society," noted Wang, "First of all, they are a deterrent; and, as they are familiar with their environment, the clues they provide usually reach corners that the police fail to notice."
