Binjiang Police Affairs-Chapter 1224 - 77: Pressure Breeds Motivation!

Jia Yongqiang curiously asked about the situation at the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch.

"Four bureau leaders, four departments, and not as many official police officers as the former Binjiang Port Police Station. I heard there's still a vacancy for the Disciplinary Secretary in the bureau leadership team. The City Bureau wants to assign someone, but it's uncertain if Jiangcheng will agree."

"Are appointments of the bureau leadership team subject to Jiangcheng's arrangement?"

"That's what they say, but in reality, most of the personnel at the branch come from the Binjiang Police System. Many relationships are not sorted out, making the situation in the bureau quite complex. Fortunately, we are all crew members, so our relationship with the Water Anti-Smuggling Department isn't significant."

The hierarchies are not sorted out, nor are the relationships with Binjiang Customs, making the situation at the newly established Smuggling Crime Investigation Bureau Binjiang Branch quite complicated.

Jia Yongqiang pondered for a moment and then curiously asked, "Does the Customs have many people?"

"There are many customs personnel, with over ten internal departments alone."

"That many?"

"Office, Personnel Administration, Finance Department, Legal Department, Comprehensive Business Department, Supervision Division, Inspection Division One, Inspection Division Two, Tariff Division, Statistical Analysis Division, Enterprise Management Division, Review Division, Special Area Management Division, and Internal Audit and Supervision Division."

Han Yu thought for a moment and then added, "Although the Investigation Bureau hasn't been dismantled, it has become nominal, which is now the Audit Division and Verification Division. Also, there are the Linghai Office and Changzhou Office, with supervision and inspection divisions below them as well."

With the vast structure of Customs, the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch appears like a "junior brother" by comparison.

And due to the unique nature of their work, the Water Anti-Smuggling Department is another "junior brother" within the internal departments of the Smuggling Crime Investigation Branch, no wonder they are seen as merely a bunch of crew members.

Finding it amusing, Jiang Xiaojun curiously asked, "Salted Fish, I heard Health Inspection and Commercial Inspection merged?"

"Not only did Health Inspection and Commercial Inspection merge, but Animal and Plant Quarantine also merged, forming a 'Three Inspections in One,' which was established last year. It's now called the Binjiang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, under the vertical management of the Jiangnan Province Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, and its superior is the National Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau."

"Are there more personnel than before, or fewer?"

"Logically, there should be fewer personnel than before, or at least it should be fewer in the future, but it seems like there are more personnel now."

"So, with fewer institutions, there are actually more personnel?"

"It might be related to an increase in import and export trade compared to before. Previously, only three or four foreign ships would enter the port each month, but now there are ships every day. The dock berths are insufficient, and many foreign ships have to queue at the anchorage."

...

While Han Yu was busy forming the Water Anti-Smuggling Department into a unit capable of independent operations, Investigation Director Wang Changjiang was reviewing the case files previously handled by the anti-smuggling task force.

Binjiang people like going to the East Sea but don't care much for Jiangcheng.

In fact, Jiangcheng people also don't particularly like working in Binjiang, given that Jiangcheng is the provincial capital.

Some colleagues found it strange why he came to work in Binjiang, and he didn't quite know how to explain it. He couldn't well say that Jiangcheng is big, with several districts and counties under it, and the county he previously worked in was far from Shanghai's city center.

Instead of working in suburban counties where promotion prospects were bleak, it was better to transfer to the newly established Smuggling Crime Investigation Bureau. After all, it's a bureau set up within Customs, with much higher pay than the Local Police Bureau.

Working diligently in Binjiang for a few years, as long as achievements were made, he could transfer back to Jiangcheng.

He was engrossed in his reading when Vice Director Gu knocked on the door and walked in.

"Director Gu, any instructions?"

"The Political Commissioner just called and asked me to see if your wife wants to transfer over. If she does, he'll think of a way to help."

"No need, our child is about to start ninth grade, the crucial time for high school entrance exams; she needs to keep an eye on things." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Ninth grade, indeed needs close attention."

Vice Director Gu smiled as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Wang Changjiang quickly opened a drawer and offered him a cigarette.

Vice Director Gu accepted the cigarette and lit it with a laugh: "Almost forgot, if you need to conduct anti-smuggling operations on the river, contact Salted Fish. He can arrange for law enforcement vessels to assist you."

"Isn't the anti-smuggling boat not due for delivery until August?" Wang Changjiang asked in confusion.

"We don't have an anti-smuggling boat now, but Salted Fish can borrow law enforcement boats from other units like the Maritime Bureau, Water Police Station, Changhang Bureau, Fishery Administration, and the Water Administration."

"Can he borrow them?"

"He's the 'Binjiang Water Army Commander.' It's said that he helped equip more than half of the law enforcement vessels on the river. Moreover, many of the ship's pilots were his old subordinates."

"No wonder the superiors made him the Water Anti-Smuggling Director. He's quite influential on the river."

"That's understandable; after all, he's worked on the river for ten years."

Vice Director Gu knocked off the ash from his cigarette and smiled as he added, "Customs, considering the convenience of ship usage, plans to assign two customs officers to join the Water Anti-Smuggling Department. That is to say, in the future, the Water Anti-Smuggling Department will not only be our branch's anti-smuggling department but also Customs' Water Anti-Smuggling Department."

Having worked in the Local Police Bureau for twenty years, Wang Changjiang was accustomed to local police management styles and instinctively asked, "So, does that mean the Water Anti-Smuggling Department will be under the dual leadership of our branch and Customs in the future?"

"More or less."

"On top of that, it sounds like the Navy Reserve Rescue Boat Brigade. Wouldn't the Water Anti-Smuggling Department become a hodgepodge?"

"Water work has its unique aspects; training a crew team is not easy, and equipping law enforcement vessels is even more challenging. At this stage, this is the best we can do."

Vice Director Gu was officially in charge of the Investigation Department and the Water Anti-Smuggling Department. Still, he could effectively only manage the Investigation Department, which annoyed him a bit, but he thought and smiled, "Since Salted Fish and his team will have to operate under dual leadership from Customs and our branch, Customs will also have armed police stationed with them."

Wang Changjiang was greatly surprised, "Wouldn't the Water Anti-Smuggling Department have more personnel than our bureau officers?"

Vice Director Gu laughed, "In terms of numbers, they are about the same as the bureau's staff, but most of them are employees with few cadres."

There seem to be several superiors, but in reality, no one can truly manage them!

The arrangement from above doesn't seem suitable, turning the Water Anti-Smuggling Department into almost an independent kingdom, sure to cause issues sooner or later.

But such thoughts could only remain in his mind, as saying them out loud wouldn't please anyone involved.

There's some truth to the saying 'a strong dragon won't suppress a local tyrant.'

Wang Changjiang didn't want to offend his colleagues and was pondering how to continue when Vice Director Gu changed the topic, "Also, Salted Fish brought in four retired veterans, all seasoned police system seniors, to help train water anti-smuggling personnel. Ma Guan and the Political Commissioner have high hopes for them, not just for the quick combat readiness formation after receiving the anti-smuggling boat, but also for them to independently investigate smuggling cases."

That's crucial!

Stunned for a moment, Wang Changjiang bitterly smiled and asked, "Director Gu, will they also handle cases?"

Just as you want to achieve something, Ma Guan and the Political Commissioner also want to achieve results."

Ma Guan and the Political Commissioner supporting Salted Fish so clearly shows they intend to engender a competitive atmosphere of mutual improvement.

Vice Director Gu had long guessed the intentions of Ma Guan and the Political Commissioner and meaningfully said, "With pressure comes motivation. If the seasoned investigators from the Investigation Department get outperformed by the Water Anti-Smuggling Department, it would be quite awkward."