First Person | Yang Lu

Editor's note: Yang Lu, 27, is a narcotics officer in Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province.

I always knew I'd become a police officer. My father devoted himself to this job for a long time and his experience must have affected me. Yet I never thought I'd be a narcotics officer.

I'm a Yunnan native, and I graduated from a police college in 2009 before joining the Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture's anti-drugs department.

At the time, many friends tried to persuade me not to join the war on drugs because of the risks involved, but my father encouraged me to try, due to my age and my major, which was criminal investigation.

Our department has 47 officers, seven of them women, including me, the youngest.

I'll never forget my first assignment, in May 2010.

I was the only woman assigned to the stakeout of a hotel in Menghai county. No suspects appeared all morning, and I grew anxious. A superior officer then told me to fetch a pair of handcuffs from our car, and he told me to stay cool if we saw a suspect in the elevator.

Luckily I got the handcuffs and did not see anyone. But to tell you the truth, I was so scared.

My most dangerous assignment came last year.

I was called to the office at 2 am, as early the next day I was to trail some suspected drug traders.

As I drove to the office, I suddenly got an order from headquarters to block the suspects' car.

Without any hesitation I did what I was told. I got out of the car, gun in hand, and arrested the suspects. We seized more than 20 kilograms of drugs.

Each female narcotics officer receives firearms training and is usually required to play basketball and soccer.

I seldom talk about my job at home, especially with my mother. I don't want to worry her.

Assignments can come at any time. Last month I was watching a movie with my husband when a call came in telling me to return to HQ. That's the job. Luckily, my husband, also a police officer, understands and is supportive.

Sometimes, I think about becoming a mother, but I have no idea what life I could give a child - or who would have the time to take care of him or her.

Yang Lu was talking to China Daily reporter Cao Yin.

(China Daily 05/21/2013 page5)