The new heads of the National Police and Fire Administrations took office yesterday.
Wang Jinn-wang (
The two replace Ting Yuan-jinn (
Premier Tang Fei (
After the ceremony concluded, Wang, previously the head of Taipei's municipal police department, held a press conference to announce his blueprint for running the nation's police.
"We will establish a service-oriented concept," Wang said. "Citizens' minor matters will be regarded as major matters for the police. Police officers will treat citizens as customers and aim to offer the highest quality of service."
Wang also vowed to work toward Tang Fei's goal of "sweeping away black gold and establishing a safe and just society."
He identified as crucial tasks the improvement of criminal investigations and crime prevention efforts, minimizing juvenile delinquency, ensuring the safety of women and children and ensuring traffic safety.
Wang, 53, is the youngest ever director-general of the National Police Administration.
In the past five years, the holder of the position of top cop has changed four times -- almost always under a cloud of controversy.
Yen Shih-hsi (
Yao Kao-chiao (姚高橋) succeeded Yen but stepped down ten months later due to the kidnapping and murder of Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕), the daughter of popular TV star Pai Ping-ping (白冰冰).
Yao had come under fire for the failure of the police to stop the continuous crime spree by Pai's three fugitive murderers and for a cover-up of another kidnapping by the trio. Ting succeeded Yao in August 1997 and served for three years before quitting to shoulder responsibility for the Pachang Creek incident.
Chao, the new director-general of the National Fire Administration, last served as director of the now defunct Taiwan Provincial Fire Department. He came out of retirement to take the post.
Chao is widely seen by media as close to People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), and his assignment to the new post has been interpreted as part of an effort by the government to seek political balance.
Also in yesterday's ceremony, Chu Cheng-ming (朱拯民), previously secretary-general of the national police administration, replaced Hsieh Jui-chi (
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
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