Community patrols go international in Chengdu

An international patrol team patrols the expat-concentrated Tongzilin community in the southwestern city of Chengdu. [File photo provided by Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu government]

An international patrol team consisting of eight members from five countries has started to serve local communities in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Chengdu Metro reported today.

Unlike most Chinese community patrols in uniforms, these international patrol members from countries like the US, New Zealand and Ghana wear no uniforms but reveal their identity on a red armband with "Community Patrols" printed in Chinese and English.

"We are more like volunteers," said Zhang Rui, who is head of the international patrol and from Ghana. "We see people wearing red armbands helping with the traffic on the road and think of the red armband as a sign of helping others."

The special patrol team works mainly in the expat-concentrated Tongzilin community in Chengdu, where more than 2,600 foreigners live. Most of the members are employees at international schools or multinational companies in the neighborhood.

Their main responsibility is patrolling the neighborhood and helping foreigners in need. "Some foreigners may need to rent an apartment, find a part-time job or apply for a temporary residence permit, but they can't speak Chinese well," said Zhang, who is fluent in Chinese and is studying for his doctorate at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu after getting a master's degree in a university in Lanzhou, Northwest China's Gansu province.

Patrol teams consisting of foreign volunteers will patrol the community regularly starting next year, said Zhang Jiarong, an official with the Tongzilin community.