Taipei City Councilors are calling on the government to station volunteer guards to help protect metro passengers. That’s after a college student killed 4 and injured dozens during a mass stabbing on May 21 on the Taipei metro. That was the first violent crime of its kind on Taipei’s metro.
The city councilors said that the mass murder had two effects on Taipei: the possibility of a copycat crime and the loss of confidence in the safety of the metro system. City councilor Tung Chung-yen and others called on the government to propose a plan within a month.
The Taipei metro company responded positively to the suggestion while the Taipei City Police Department said their current plan is to recruit 120 volunteer guards to be stationed at metro stations. They said they have strict standards for recruitment and will start with those who have served in the military or police forces and those with military training.