Vice President Wu, Den-Yi attended the 2013 Joint Graduation Ceremony of Central Police University, held on June 7th. A total of 596 graduates were awarded degrees this year; this included 6 PhD degrees, 145 Master's degrees and 285 four-year Bachelor's degrees, as well as 160 two-year Bachelor of Technology degrees.
Vice President Wu stated that, in addition to preventing and combating crime, the police must also shoulder the responsibility of serving the people. When facing a crisis, the first responders to the scene are police officers who never give up and provide dedicated service to the people, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, like Buddha saving people from suffering.
The traffic authority takes drunk driving violations seriously. The National Police Agency of the Ministry of the Interior (NPA), as well as related departments, have decided to clamp down on these violations, and have achieved positive preliminary results during a three-month enforcement of DUI violations starting in June, 2012.
The authority handled 124,620 drunk-driving cases, of which 52,432 cases went to court; there were a total of 376 traffic deaths caused by drunk drivers in 2012. Compared to the previous year, the number of traffic deaths was reduced by 14.35%. From January to April 2013, the NPA handled 40,067 DUI violation cases; among these, 15,265 cases went to court, and there were 107 related deaths, a decrease of 28.19% compared to the same period last year.
Wu added that although the authorities enforce laws strictly, drunk driving is still encountered quite often. There was a recent drunk-driving accident in which an excellent physician lost her life, drawing public concern to the issue. Legislators have also amended and passed criminal laws concerning drunk-driving accidents, in order to severely punish offenders.
Wu encouraged all departments of the government, as well as the private sector, to work together to reduce drunk-driving accidents, and affirmed all the efforts of the police in this area.
He also conveyed a message from President Ma about his concern regarding juvenile drug crimes; Wu stated that Ma expected all departments to actively cooperate to fight drug-related crimes and effectively reduce the harm of drugs to young people.
Wu said that President Ma expected the officials of the University to embrace the school motto "Honesty", building upon the core values of "country, justice and honor". Each police officer entering the field must maintain honesty, putting an end to corruption in order to win the people's trust.
Lastly, Wu encouraged all graduates not to forget the original goals of becoming a police officer: to show empathy, to maintain national security and social order, as well as to serve the people.