Late in the afternoon in Phù Lồng village, just as the villagers return from a day of labor on the upland fields, a working team from the Pu Nhi commune Police arrives to conduct legal dissemination. Conversations revolve around highly practical issues such as the harmful effects of drugs, the consequences of child marriage, risks from improvised weapons, and the responsibility to protect children. The atmosphere of the dissemination session is open, with residents sharing their concerns while the police listen, explain, and exchange views through real-life stories. To many locals here, such meetings are no longer unfamiliar.

Pu Nhi is a highland commune with 25 villages and a scattered population. The locality also faces unique social issues such as child marriage, consanguineous marriage, drug abuse, domestic violence, the use of improvised weapons, and incidents arising from community conflicts.

Nguyễn Thế Bắc, Chief of the Pu Nhi commune Police, stated: “The terrain is vast and the population is scattered, so if we only wait for residents to report, many incidents will be detected late. We determined that we must frequently visit the villages, cling to the grassroots level, and grasp the situation early on. Cases with intentions of child marriage, households still keeping improvised guns, or minor domestic conflicts, if disseminated, mobilized, and resolved in a timely manner, will limit many negative consequences.”

Based on the field realities of the area, the Pu Nhi commune Police identified early prevention from the grassroots-level as a vital solution. Therefore, the police force regularly coordinates with mass organizations, village heads, prestigious individuals, and the grassroots-level security and order enforcement force to disseminate the law, grasp the situation, and resolve arising incidents.

The dissemination content is selected to closely align with the residents’ daily lives; many sessions focus on the prevention of child marriage, consanguineous marriage, child protection, domestic violence prevention, and the prevention of suicide using poisonous lá ngón leaves.

Early last April, the commune Police coordinated with families and mass organizations to successfully mobilize three drug addicts to voluntarily enter rehabilitation. To achieve this result, police officers repeatedly visited their homes to meet, discuss, and analyze the harmful effects of drugs on themselves, their families, and the community.

The perseverance and close oversight of the local police force are also demonstrated in the process of resolving conflicts arising at the grassroots-level. A prime example is the timely resolution of a land dispute between the families of Lò Văn Nam and Sùng A Này in Nậm Ngám A village. Accordingly, the plot of upland field had been reclaimed and cultivated by Lò Văn Nam’s family many years ago. However, after a period of non-use, the land was left fallow and overgrown with weeds. Believing that the land area was no longer cultivated by anyone, Sùng A Này’s family cleared it for production. A conflict arose when both sides claimed the right to use this land plot, leading to a tense argument.

Grasp the situation, the Pu Nhi commune Police coordinated with the commune People’s Committee, the village head, and mass organizations to hold multiple meetings and dialogues with the parties involved. Along with explaining legal regulations, the police force analyzed the impacts of the conflict on village solidarity, mobilizing the parties to stay calm, respect one another, and together find an appropriate solution. Following the mediation process, the two families agreed on a handling option, ending the dispute and preventing the emergence of any security and order hot spots in the area.

Sùng A Này shared: “Through multiple meetings, analyses, and mobilizations by the commune Police, local authorities, and the village head, we understood the matter more clearly and agreed to resolve it in a spirit of solidarity. The issue was settled satisfactorily, the two families no longer have any conflict, and everyone can securely work and produce.”

Through village meetings, community activities, and direct encounters with households by the commune police, many residents have voluntarily handed over improvised guns and unauthorized supporting tools, thereby contributing to limiting safety hazards at the grassroots level.

Speaking about the closeness and responsibility of the commune Police force toward the people, Lò Văn Diên, Head of Nậm Ngám A village, shared: “The commune Police officers frequently come down to the village to disseminate the law alongside the people, grasp the situation, and resolve arising issues. Many conflicts are unknotted in time, and many matters are resolved right within the village, so the residents place immense trust in them.”

Evaluating the role of the commune Police force, Đinh Quang Bạo, Chairman of the Pu Nhi commune People’s Committee, noted: “The commune Police has successfully promoted their core role in ensuring security and order in the area. What is highly commendable is their spirit of clinging to the grassroots-level, staying close to the people, and proactively resolving arising issues from the very beginning. Many incidents are handled when they are just burgeoning, contributing to maintaining local stability.”

For the officers and soldiers of the Pu Nhi commune Police, studying and following Uncle Hồ is translated into a high sense of work responsibility, close grassroots-level involvement, listening, and serving the people. Through concrete actions, the public’s trust is increasingly consolidated, contributing to preserving peace for each highland village.