President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) awarded certificates to Taiwan’s newest police graduates at the Taiwan Police College graduation ceremony on Tuesday. The new graduates, Lai hopes, will help promote resilience in Taiwan’s society amid evolving challenges like climate change, expanding authoritarianism, and increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics.
In his speech, Lai commended the young graduates for rising to challenges that go beyond the ordinary. Acknowledging the rapidly changing technological landscape and emerging global threats, he emphasized that graduation doesn’t mark the end of learning, but its beginning. He expressed hope that the new officers will draw on diverse experiences, build professional skills, and make full use of artificial intelligence and big data to enhance public safety.
Lai encouraged the graduates to stay close to the people, understand their needs, and uphold justice. He said the new graduates would play an important role in strengthening national defense, people’s livelihood, disaster preparedness, and democratic governance. He added that achieving this goal requires inter-ministerial, cross-sectoral, and public-private collaboration.
Lai further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a more resilient public safety system. He pledged to invest substantial resources in improving working conditions, increasing benefits, and upgrading equipment for police, firefighters, and coast guard personnel, ensuring they receive the recognition, support, and protection they deserve.