Home / Life
Gao Yanlong, 32, is a police officer responsible for patrolling Yanqi Lake in Beijing's Huairou district, which is hosting the APEC meeting from Nov 5 through 11. He talked about his work with Cao Yin, explaining why he is confident he is up to the job and how much he misses his son.
Thanks to the APEC meeting, I learned how to steer a boat, although I cannot go home often, but will be posted far from the downtown area of Beijing for the next two weeks.
To cope with accidents on the water in summer and guarantee the security of international events, I was required to spend one month in the marine bureau learning how to skipper a boat last year.
Usually, I took the boat out with another officer to patrol Yanqi Lake and nearby waters around four times a day, with each trip lasting about 40 minutes.
However, since August when the municipal public security bureau highlighted the security of the APEC meeting, the frequency of patrols has increased and they have been extended to about an hour each.
The bureau has also added another boat, and the number of officers on each boat, which are equipped with six life jackets and two life buoys, has risen to five.
We have been ordered to have officers on standby 24 hours a day and to carry an extra 25-liter tank of fuel so our patrol time can be lengthened if necessary to tackle emergencies.
The major tasks for us are to monitor people trying to fish, swim or take part in any activities on the lake that are banned by the district government, to safeguard the security of the waterway.
Such inspections are not only to ensure that key conferences such as the APEC meeting will go smoothly, but also to prevent security risks for local residents. After all, fishing and swimming on the lake are dangerous.
The bureau prepared well for the meeting and has increased its security for the period. I have participated in drills at least five times since August.
Having been a member of a police SWAT team for almost 10 years, I have been in charge of security for several major activities, such as football matches, concerts and the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. My work at that time involved simple tasks during which I protected local residents.
Since 2011, when I was dispatched to the district police sub-bureau, on-water patrols have become my regular work and I never know what emergencies may occur each day.
Under such circumstances, I think my current work is more challenging.
Also, after I was dispatched to this district, I only return home once a week, because of the hard work and the long distance from my workplace in the northeastern area of the capital to my home downtown.
My happiest thing, to tell you the truth, is to have a video call with my family at 8 pm every day. When I hear my 2-year-old son repeatedly call me daddy on the phone, I forget all the pressure of my work. Really, I miss him very much.
I know I will be busy in the next two weeks, but I will buy gifts for my boy, and I am always thinking about the day when I can go home and give him the gifts.
