People supervise - people benefit
The area around Ho Van Quan (Ha Dong ward, Hanoi) was once considered the "coffee capital" in the area with many large cafes attracting a large number of customers. But besides that bustling atmosphere, there is also the sidewalk issue. Ms. Hong Ly - a resident here - said: "For many years, sidewalks in this area have been occupied by eateries, tables and chairs are displayed all over the street, people do not have sidewalks for walking, which is very dangerous." However, since the Lunar New Year, the situation of sidewalk encroachment has almost disappeared, and the roads seem wider. Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh - a police officer in Van Quan area - said: "When the Hanoi People's Committee issued a decision to clear sidewalks, we received a plan from the Hanoi City Police, regularly coordinating with functional forces to patrol, fine, and coordinate with propaganda, so the sidewalk issue was also thoroughly resolved. Next, there was also support from people through reflections on the scene. Providing information and images from people is very useful.
Clearly, maintaining urban order cannot only rely on the police force and functional agencies. It is the people, especially residents living in areas with sidewalk encroachment, who play an important role in detecting and promptly notifying violations. With the support of technology, people can now easily report violations through many different platforms such as mobile applications, social networks, or simply through calls to the hotline of functional agencies. Timely reporting helps competent authorities detect violations quickly and handle them accurately and transparently. On the iHanoi application, information reflecting the scene is received thousands of reports every day, in which people reporting sidewalk encroachment accounts for a large proportion. For example, people's reflections on the problem of street vendors in the Ly Quoc Su street area. After that, functional agencies quickly responded: "Hoan Kiem Ward Police - City Police would like to announce the results as follows: After receiving feedback through the iHanoi application, the Ward Police directed the Order Police Team to strengthen patrols and inspections, focusing on handling violations on Au Trieu and Ly Quoc Su streets, Hoan Kiem ward, Hanoi City and at the reflected location. The working group received feedback from Mr./Ms. and determined that there was an incident as in the feedback. As a result, at the reflected location, the working group proceeded to seize items and business vehicles encroaching on the sidewalk, committed that the business household would not re-offend; return the pedestrian path on the sidewalk for people to walk. In case of violation, they have complied with the handling of functional forces...". Right below this feedback is an image of street vendors no longer for people to monitor.
Applying technology to reclaim sidewalks
One of the important factors helping Hanoi maintain sidewalk order in the past time is the application of advanced monitoring technology. The AI camera system has been deployed at more than 1,800 locations in key areas of the city. This camera has the ability to record extremely sharp images, helping to detect sidewalk encroachment and urban order violations accurately. Violation images are transmitted directly to the command center and used as evidence in the process of handling violations. This not only reduces the situation of disputes between violators and functional agencies, but also creates strong deterrence against intentional violations. Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Doan To - Deputy Head of Hoan Kiem Ward Police - said that the AI camera system not only monitors sidewalk encroachment but can also detect other violations such as illegal parking, littering, or environmental sanitation violations. This helps grassroots police to detect and handle them promptly without having to directly patrol, saving significant resources.
Over the past time, Hanoi Police have strengthened the detection and handling of violations through surveillance cameras and people's feedback. In March alone, functional forces fined 3,900 cases, collecting more than 4.3 billion VND.
According to Hanoi Police leaders, in some areas, violations are still recurring, mainly displaying goods for sale, encroaching on sidewalks, and leaving vehicles improperly. Lieutenant General Nguyen Thanh Tung - Director of Hanoi City Police - proposed that the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee consider the responsibility of local Party committees and authorities if repeated violations occur.
For violations of urban order to exist and re-violate in the area, requesting Party committees, local authorities and commune and ward police to clearly review their responsibilities. 3 times of violation being reminded will be requested not to complete tasks, 3 times of being reduced the level of cadre classification and emulation will be considered for cadre work" - the leader of Hanoi Police said.
