【环球时报】the rent-a-cop diaries

security guards are as ubiquitous as the gates they're posted to; seemingly almost every structure in china is flanked by youngsters standing sentry, forced to brave the midnight cold, endure tedium ad nauseum, and deal with snubs from self-important snobs on a daily basis.

add on low wages and spartan accommodations, and its no wonder why most spend their time thumbing mobiles while donning that standard-issue blank security guard stare.

although not sounding like an ideal career track, the life of the flashlight flatfoot piqued the interest of fan xiangzhong, a 22-year-old sophomore at anhui university (au), inspiring him to write an investigative report about the life of a security guard from "behind the badge"

"i come from a village in fuyang, anhui province, and many of my fellow-villagers are now working in cites as guards. i always heard stories about their life, which got me interested in what being a security guard is like,"fan explained.

in order to get a real insight into the security experience, fan, a library management major, decided to work as a campus security guard at au for a year, compiling his experience into a report to enter into next year's academic challenge, a nationwide scholastic competition, with the hopes of representing his school.

"my university takes part every year and i wanted to have a try at it, "said fan

not only does fan explore the life of a security guard, but also offers analysis on the inadequacy of security guard training and the apparent class discrimination they face, while at the same time the business potential in the industry.

rookie beat

on january 17 of last year, while most students had gone back home to spend the spring festival with their families, fan contacted the head of the au security department and told him about his research project.

fan was hired the next day, and was surprised to be handed a baggy uniform only after a 2- hour "tutorial."

"they really didn't tell us much. just 'patrol there, report here' and that was it,"said fan

during the winter vacation, fan and another guards were assigned to night patrol from 11 pm to 7 am, their standard issue pla-style cotton-padded coats doing little to keep out the damp cold. his legs were often numb and sore from walking around outside for hours.

"before i took the job, i knew how hard it was. but after doing it i found it was even harder than i had imagined."

when the new semester started, considering fan was a student and had class during the day, his supervisor transferred him from night patrol to the front gate sentry box.

although it was still an 8-hour night shift, at least fan was sheltered from the freezing wind. and what's more, when he wasn't checking ids of people or cars coming in and out of campus, fan could even catch five hours of sleep.

"but my colleagues worked longer and slept less, standing guard at the gates during the day and patrol campus at night. after a hard day, they'll go back to their dorms in the classroom building basements, where it's damp and there's no heat.

"at least i had a small bed in the office, which is way more comfortable,"explained fan.

even though fan might have slept sounder, he was paid the same as everybody else – 800 yuan a month.

"it's enough to survive on for the month, but the other guards were always complain-ing about the low salary, and many were forced to quit."

copping an attitude

however shock not only came from with his paycheck, but also the disrespect and self-important attitudes fan encountered on a daily basis from students and teachers.

"once a university leader drove to the gate and i asked him for his id. he refused to show me and went calling for the head of the security department, who criticized me harshly in front of him and forced me to apologize."

fan also recounts an episode during class where his teacher said "security guards are all low quality people"equating them as mere "watchdogs"simply because she was asked to show id when she came on campus.

"we also often see people's contempt for us in their eyes. both college teachers and students, who are educated and should know how to respect others, often disrespect us, making their views of our social status obvious,"he said.

"being a security guard is really a tedious job and their efforts deserve more respect from our society,"he added.

security solutions

fan's research article is now in its final drafts, offering insight and analysis into the potential and future of the security guard industry.

"inadequate training has prevented the quality of guards in china from being standardized. proper training should include law, basic firefighting skills and etiquette,"fan explains.

"the security guard business is an underdeveloped industry in china. with a proper training, security guards will be a more appreciated and respected occupation,"he added.

and for his buddies on duty, fan sends a short shout out.

"after spending all that time with my colleagues, i found most of them humble, straightforward and positive people. i get along quite well with them."