Police bureau to return security “fees” in Shaanxi

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-11-10  |     ONLINE EDITION

A COUNTY police bureau in Shaanxi Province will return about 2.19 million yuan (US$312,857) in "fees" that were donated by about 70 coal mine bosses to improve security during a meeting on Saturday, a newspaper reported today.

The Daliuta branch of the Shenmu County Police Bureau in Yulin City accepted the money and in return promised the mine bosses "more peaceful lives" and "better security protection,’’ according to Chinese Business View, a Shaanxi-based newspaper.

Supervision officers from the Yulin Public Security Bureau were dispatched to the Daliuta branch to look into the issue. The chief directors of the Shenmu County police bureau vowed to refund the money and asked the Daliuta branch to correct its wrongdoings and find out who is responsible, the report said.

A meeting organized by the Shenmu County Coal Mine Association was held at Shendong Hotel in Erdos City in Shaanxi's neighboring Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Saturday morning and attended by more than 80 people.

Wei Xiaomin, vice director of the Daliuta bureau, said at the meeting that his police officers were anticipating strong support from the guests as an increasing crime rate had made it hard for the bureau to make ends meet, the report said.

In response to Wei’s speech, more than 60 coal mine bosses donated 2.19 million yuan – 1.13 million yuan in cash and 1.06 million yuan to be transferred later.

Wei told the newspaper yesterday that the bureau had not received a response to its application to install more surveillance cameras as the number of murders, kidnaps and robberies had increased this year in Daliuta.

Otherwise, the bureau would not have asked for private sponsorship, the report said.

``The coal mine association held the meeting for us to raise the fund and three senior officials attended,’’ Wei was quoted as saying.

Wei’s words were echoed by Hao Zhichang, vice director of the Shenmu County Coal Mine Association.