Courageous keeper of the peace had life cut short

During his 22-year career as a police officer, Xu Zhe led his colleagues in cracking more than 1,100 criminal cases and capturing more than 900 suspects.

Born in November 1980, Xu joined the police force in 2002 and became an officer of the criminal investigation detachment of the Tianjin Binhai New Area Public Security Bureau, which is now the Binhai branch of the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau, in 2005.

It was also in 2005 when he demonstrated his ability by solving a major criminal case in Binhai New Area.

Xu led a large case investigation before traveling more than 700 kilometers to Liaoyang, Liaoning province, to obtain an important clue.

Despite the techniques back in those days being not as advanced, Xu successfully determined the suspect within only 18 hours.

In 2012, Xu cracked a case where a man in his 70s surnamed Li was beaten and suffered leg fractures. Xu managed to capture the two suspects. To show his gratitude for the officer's efforts, Li texted Xu holiday greetings every year for the next 11 years.

In February 2023, Xu was put on a major criminal case in Tianjin. Through accurate analysis, Xu discovered that the suspect had decided to flee to Bazhou, Hebei province.

He then determined the suspect's escape route and led a team to capture the suspect. After seizing and interrogating the suspect, he determined where the stolen property was stashed, resolving the case in 26 hours.

It was during the investigation of this case that Xu started to suffer frequent stomachaches, fever, lack of appetite and a rapid loss of weight.

In April 2023, he was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. For the next 500 days, Xu went to hospital more than 100 times, receiving chemotherapy.

However, he insisted on going back to his team to discuss difficult cases, and vowed to return to his post as early as possible. He had said he wanted to make the best use of his days to do more work and solve more cases.

Xu died from stomach cancer on Sept 15 last year at the age of 43.

Li Hui, political commissar of the criminal investigation detachment of the Binhai branch of the Tianjin Municipal Public Security Bureau, said he was impressed by Xu's courage and insight when the two first had an in-depth conversation.

"Xu persevered no matter how hard the working conditions were. He loved this profession and this job so much," Li said. "He used to say all the value and pride of his life comes from cracking one case after another."