NT$10M Police Substation Abandoned in Under a Year; Locals Hope for Revitalization

(CNA, Taitung County, May 21, by reporter Lu Tai-cheng) In Taitung County's South-Link region, five police substations, including the Tjuvecek Police Substation built at a cost of over ten million NT dollars, are sitting idle due to police force downsizing, with some even overgrown with weeds, as locals hope for their revitalization. The Taitung County Police Department stated that, in principle, the properties could be made available for local use. The Tjuvecek Police Substation of the Taitung County Police Department's Dawu Precinct, newly constructed in 2015 for over NT$10 million and opened with fanfare, was unexpectedly closed and merged into the Tjuabal Substation in less than a year due to police force reduction. It now sits deserted and idle, a situation villagers find regrettable. KMT County Councilor Tsai Yu-ling questioned Taitung County Police Department Chief Lin Hung-sheng during the county's regular assembly today, hoping the police could provide the idle spaces to local government offices or villages for revitalization. Tsai stated that the Tjuvecek Substation is a new, approximately 60-ping (2,135 sq ft) building. The local community was full of expectations for its opening, but it was quickly merged and closed due to insufficient police manpower. Its gates have been locked for years, and the surrounding open space is overgrown with weeds, which villagers see as a pity. She said villagers lament seeing a perfectly good building left to the sun and weeds, finding it heartbreaking. An elderly resident mentioned that the substation used to be lit at night, but now it's pitch dark, making even passing by feel desolate. Residents believe that if it could be converted into a tribal gathering space, a long-term care center, or a youth activity center, it could at least serve a purpose instead of remaining idle long-term. Lin Hung-sheng stated that an inventory check identified a total of five substations in the South-Link region with no officers stationed. The Dawu Precinct has completed the necessary reporting procedures. In the future, besides the second floors of the Tjuvecek and Mor나가 Substations, which will be retained as lodging for officers, the remaining idle buildings or land, such as the Gaoxi Substation, can, in principle, be evaluated for revitalization by local government offices.