Capital to set up more community associations

Beijing will build more public volunteer associations at the community level to participate in the capital's social governance and safety management.

According to a plan released recently by the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, the city will launch a branding project to develop associations in all residential communities.

"By 2023, each urban community will have no fewer than 15 volunteer associations, while rural communities will have no fewer than eight associations," the plan said.

Those communities will try to build renowned volunteer associations, such as the existing Chaoyang Qunzhong and Xicheng Aunties.

Chaoyang Qunzhong, which means the public in Chaoyang district, has been frequently mentioned by police authorities as one that has been helpful in providing information in criminal cases.

According to local media, up to 140,000 residents in the district had officially registered as Chaoyang Qunzhong by the end of 2017, which means that on average 300 people belong to the association in each square kilometer of the district.

They provide clues to police involving cases such as prostitution, fraud, anti-terrorism, public safety and drug dealing.

It's reported that the police receive around 20,000 clues from members of Chaoyang Qunzhong every month.

"It's hard to recognize them because they can be anyone around you," said Wang Qun, a resident in her 30s who lives in Sanlitun. "They can be a security guard, a senior female neighbor or a fruit stand owner."

In recent years, Chaoyang police solved more than 20 drug-related crimes involving widely-known singers and movie stars with the help of clues from Chaoyang Qunzhong. Since 2015, they have included "Chaoyang Qunzhong" in their official announcements, which has made this association famous.

Yang Guojian, a community police officer in Chaoyang, described Chaoyang Qunzhong as their "eyes" and "ears".

"They would report someone who always sells different bikes to street waste recycling stations at a very low price, since the person can be suspected as a thief," Yang said.

"When deliverymen smell something weird at someone's home, they will also report the clue because the smell may relate to drug use or some other kind of crimes."

Xicheng Aunties, literally meaning elder female residents in Xicheng district, also provide crucial information on public security.

They have more responsibilities such as resolving conflicts between neighbors and patrolling when major events are held in the area.

According to the website of the city's police bureau, the total number of registered volunteers had reached 850,000 by 2017. Added with other forces in social governance, the overall number has surpassed 1.4 million.