The Examination Yuan plans to revise the national examination rules by removing some physical examination requirements, for example the ones regarding height or tattoos of police force applicants, to bring it “in line with the times.” When the plans were announced, rank-and-file police expressed their frustration, saying that if there were no restrictions on height or tattoos, there could be police officers under 150cm or 140cm, or who have tattoos of dragons and phoenixes, looking like gangsters.
While police enforcement and criminal investigations rely on intelligence, rather than physical attributes, physique definitely has an effect on the ability to perform on the front line.
WHAT THE JOB DEMANDS
I remember some years ago at the Taoyuan Precinct’s criminal section, we had a burly police officer, who was taller than 180cm. Whenever we launched a spot check at an entertainment venue, I would instruct him to stand at the door of each room with his arms folded and his eyes fixed on the customers. We would not hear a single complaint from anyone, not even from those with a few drinks in them.
Previously, highway police were required to be of a height of 170cm or taller. At that time, a squad was responsible for about 100km section of the provincial highway, so it would often be the case that a police officer was on duty alone in the remote areas. It would not be suitable for a person of slight build to be out there on their own. The port police also must deal with big and tall foreign sailors. Members of the military’s honor guard need to look imposing to make the right impression.
POLICE OR GANGSTER?
The police are there to enforce the law. How ridiculous would it be if they have tattoos on their arms, necks or, heaven forbid, faces? If an Examination Yuan member had a dispute with someone and went to a police station, only to see that the police officer handling the case had a duck tattooed on one side of his neck and a leopard on the other — the pronunciation of duck and leopard together can be the metaphor for yaba (鴨霸), meaning “bully” — who could say that officer had not once belonged to a gang? If the officer had his arms tattooed with characters like “love, hate, affection and enmity” (愛恨情仇), would he not wonder what trauma the officer had before, and whether he was mentally healthy or capable of solving problems?
In Taiwan, the use of guns by the police is controlled in many ways. To stop a street incident, police officers usually rely on their physical strength. Can a police officer with a slight build and short of stature be expected to get involved in this kind of situation? A significant percentage of police officers are female. Would their supervisors be comfortable with them getting involved in physical altercations with criminals in the dead of night?
On the other hand, if female officers are only allowed for office duty, not field work, what does this mean for gender equality? Besides, police workforce is already insufficient. In the face of large events or major incidents, when the police force could be stretched to the limit, is it still possible to divide officers into office duty and field work?
The Examination Yuan exists to solve problems, not to create them. To make such a big change in the rules, why does it not first try to understand the grassroots police units? It is merely making the change behind closed doors under the wrong-headed impression that these changes are somehow progressive.
Teddy Su is a civil servant.
Translated by Eddy Chang
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of