A new high-water mark in an Olympian's distinguished career
Jiang Haiqi took to police work like a fish to water. In fact, water is his “beat.”
The 28-year-old, now an officer with the Shanghai Border, Harbor and Waterway Police, won a bronze medal in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2012 London Olympics.
He retired from athletic swimming two years ago and joined the police force.
“In my earlier life, I strove for personal satisfaction and for my country, but now it’s for saving lives,” he told Shanghai Daily in a recent interview.
Jiang, a Shanghai native, started to train in swimming at age five, when a local coach spotted his potential. He had unusually long limbs for his age, which are good for swimming.
He was inducted into the national team at age 17, after winning three gold medals in freestyle in a national championship.
The bronze medal Jiang won with his teammates in 2012 was the best result China has ever achieved in that event at the Olympic Games.
His work with the police includes patrolling the city's waterways to spot illegal activities, responding to emergencies that happen in waterways and saving people from drowning. The biggest challenge on the beat is Huangpu River that dissects the city.
Jiang Haiqi trains in saving drowning people from water with a dummy.
An average of 40 people are pulled from the river every year. In the first six months of this year, 14 people were saved, according to the police.
Jiang has been trained in how to drag drowning people from water and holds a lifeguard's certificate. But rescuing people from the strong currents of a big river like the Huangpu takes more than that.
“We have all kinds of gear for that purpose, including the automated external defibrillator, which we used once to revive a person pulled from the water,” he said. “We work as a team.”
This year, Jiang was assigned a three-month night shift as part of an intensified crackdown on illegal and criminal activities involving the city’s waterways. He tracked more than 500 boats and boarded about 100 of them for night inspections, targeting an oil-smuggling ring in April.
Meanwhile, representing China, Jiang won fourth place in the men’s 50m butterfly at the 2019 World Police and Fire Games in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
He said becoming a police officer was a real role-changer in his life.
“Being a police officer means shouldering the responsibility of protecting our community,” he said.
Jiang Haiqi patrols Huangpu River in a boat with his colleagues.
Jiang shared with us some insights into rescuing people from water.
Q: What should I do if I encounter someone drowning in a river or a lake?
A: If you are not well trained in lifesaving, you shouldn’t jump in and try to save the person, even if you can swim. Just because you can swim doesn't give you the proper skills. And always remember that under what looks like a peaceful water surface, rapid undercurrents may lurk.
Call the police on 110 immediately when you spot someone having difficulty in the water, telling police the exact location. Look around the shore. See if you can find a life buoy, kickboard or a pole. Call out loudly for help if there are people around.
Q: How do professional lifesavers rescue people from the water?
A: When we approach a drowning person, we tell that person we are there to save him or her. That is important because drowning people usually are in a state of panic. When far from shore where there is nothing to grasp, a drowning person might grab you in panic. That is an extremely dangerous situation for lifesavers.
When we start to drag a drowning person toward the shore, we hold that person from behind, under his or her arms, in a backstroke position. That is to ensure that the person's head stays above water.
When we arrive on shore, we make sure to hold the person in a level position and gently ease him or her onto the bank.
