People's Police (China)

Police in China have a variety of roles in addition to enforcing the law.

They are also responsible for the maintenance of social stability ({{zh|s=维护社会稳定|labels=no|c=|t=|p=Wéihù Shèhùi Wěndìng}}), and in this sense perform not just a law enforcement function but a political function as well. The majority of national police forces are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

Over the years, the power of the police has gradually been expanded to border control, under the auspices of the China Immigration Inspection (CII), household registration, issuance of the National ID card (see: Resident Identity Card) and cybersecurity (under the 11th Bureau of the MPS), network security and website registration.{{cite web |last = Creemers |first = Rogier |date = 9 September 2020 |title = Chinese Government Clarifies Cybersecurity Authorities (Translation) |url = https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/chinese-government-clarifies-cybersecurity-authorities-translation/ |access-date = 15 July 2021 |website = New America |archive-date = 14 July 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210714171610/https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/chinese-government-clarifies-cybersecurity-authorities-translation/ |url-status = live }}

In mainland China, People's Police refers to the identity of law enforcement officers,{{Cite web |title=Reviewing the past, Premier Zhou approved, the term "People's Police" came about in this way - Beijing News |url=https://news.bjd.com.cn/2024/01/11/10672757.shtml |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=news.bjd.com.cn}} while Public Security or the police denotes a specific government agency, namely the public security organ.{{Cite web |title=The Police - Chinese Dictionary |url=https://cidian.bmcx.com/458434945145150237412371__cidianchaxun/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=cidian.bmcx.com}} Although prison police, judicial police, and other such units also fall under the police system, due to the special nature of their work, they are generally not referred to as the police.

Before the turn of the 21st century, public security officers often used Public Security as their designation and term of address, rather than the broader term the police. Additionally, public security officers, who handle the majority of public order and criminal cases, are the most frequently encountered police force by the public. These factors have led some people, especially those in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities, to inaccurately refer to mainland China's police officers as Public Security.{{Cite web |date=2011-06-16 |title=The police officers in mainland China are still called "police" instead of "public security" |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E5%A4%A7%E9%99%B8%E8%AD%A6%E5%AF%9F%E9%82%84%E6%98%AF%E5%8F%AB%E8%AD%A6%E5%AF%9F%E4%B8%8D%E5%8F%AB%E5%85%AC%E5%AE%89-094517680.html |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Yahoo News |language=zh-Hant-TW}}

The uniforms and vehicle liveries of the People's Police generally maintain a consistent style, with their primary distinctions being the inscriptions indicating the departments to which various police forces belong, namely Public Security, Justice, State Security, Court, and Procuratorate.

Founded in October 1949 with the inception of the People's Republic of China, and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), China's major national police force operates under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).Tao Xu and Nan Yang, "Chinese policing: its history from a legal perspective" in "Comparative Policing from a Legal Perspective", edited by Monica den Boer, pp. 363-380, 2018, Edward Elgar Publishing

The influence of the Soviet Union was paramount in the early years of the People's Republic, and guided the Chinese approach to policing.

During the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), the powers of the police were both strengthened and weakened; on the one hand, they were given control over much of the judicial system, since People's Courts and People's Procuratorates basically collapsed, meaning that local directors of public security bureaus could easily arrest and convict almost any person they chose; on the other hand, the top leadership of the police was almost totally purged and persecuted, and political commissars from the PLA (most of them hand-picked by the Cultural Revolution Group) were brought in to take control over the largest and most important public security bureaus, including those of Beijing and Shanghai.

The current structure and mission of the People's Police was formalized in the People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China (February 1995), which states:

{{quote|Tasks of the People's Police are to safeguard state security, maintain public order, protect citizens' personal safety and freedom and their legal property, protect public property, and prevent, stop and punish illegal and criminal activities. The People's Police consist of policemen working in public security organs, state security

organs, prisons and organs in charge of reeducation through labor, as well as judicial policemen working in the People's Courts and the People's Procuratorates.[https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4c3200692.pdf People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102214543/https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4c3200692.pdf |date=2 November 2021 }}, full text, Refworld.com}}

According to the People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China (1995), the People's Police comprises five components:{{cite web |title = Structure of the public security police |url = https://www.refworld.org/docid/54648cbd4.html |publisher = Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |access-date = 8 October 2019 |date = 10 October 2014 |archive-date = 17 December 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201217012823/https://www.refworld.org/docid/54648cbd4.html |url-status = live }}

• People's Police of Public Security Organs
• {{Lang-zh |s = 公安机关人民警察 |p = Gong'ān Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá }}
• Working under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS)
• People's Police of State Security Organs
• {{Lang-zh|s=国家安全机关人民警察|p=Guójiā Ānquán Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá}}
• Working under the Ministry of State Security (MSS)
• People's Police of Judicial Administrative Organs
• {{Lang-zh|c=司法行政机关人民警察|p=Sīfǎ Xíngzhèng Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá}}
• Working under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
• Judicial Police of People's Court
• {{Lang-zh|c=人民法院司法警察|p=Rénmín Fǎyuàn Sīfǎ Jǐngchá}}
• Working under the Supreme People's Court (SPC)
• Judicial Police of People's Procuratorate
• {{Lang-zh|c=人民检察院司法警察|p=Rénmín Jiǎncháyuàn Sīfǎ Jǐngchá}}
• Working under the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP)

The Public Security Police handle routine law enforcement tasks such as maintaining public order, conducting criminal investigations, and managing border control. This constitutes the majority of China's police force and falls under the jurisdiction of the MPS.[https://web.archive.org/web/20180326202340/http://news.163.com/18/0321/16/DDEG2AJV0001899N.html At a glance! 60 reform plans for the party, government, army, region and group], News.163.com, 21 March 2018 The responsibilities of different public security organ departments are clearly outlined. These departments include:{{cite web |last1=Carrdus |first1=Ben |title=Policing East Turkistan: Mapping Police and Security Forces in the Uyghur Region |url=https://uhrp.org/report/policing-east-turkistan-mapping-police-and-security-forces-in-the-uyghur-region/ |website=Uyghur Human Rights Project |access-date=3 January 2024 |date=13 December 2023 |archive-date=3 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103101701/https://uhrp.org/report/policing-east-turkistan-mapping-police-and-security-forces-in-the-uyghur-region/ |url-status=live }}

• Political Security (1st Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for maintaining social and political stability, upholding the political principles established by the Constitution, and handling cases that undermine national and cultural unity (with some tasks falling under the 4th Bureau, specifically those having to do with investigating religious activities and cults)
• Economic Crime Investigations (2nd Bureau of the MPS)
• Public Order Management (3rd Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for preventing, detecting and stopping illegal crimes and violent behaviour, handling mass incidents such as assemblies, demonstrations and maintaining order in public places, managing special industries and dangerous goods, and handling public security administrative law enforcement cases
• Criminal Investigations (5th Bureau of the MPS)
• Food and Forestry (7th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for issues of food, the ecological environment, forest and grassland, and biological safety cases
• Railway (10th Bureau of the MPS)
• Special Service (8th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for the security tasks of Communist Party and State leaders, major provincial leaders and important visiting foreign guests
• Anti-Narcotics (21st Bureau of the MPS)
• Public Information Network Security (11th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for monitoring the contents of public Internet websites, e-mails, chat messages and visitation records
• Detention Center Management (13th Bureau of the MPS): Oversees the administration of detention centers and Qincheng Prison (note that all other prisons instead fall under the MOJ, which has its own, different, Prison Police)
• Customs Anti-Smuggling (14th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for handling customs smuggling cases, in collaboration with the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs
• {{Ill|China Air Marshal|zh|中国民用航空局公安局}} (15th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for handling administrative law enforcement cases in the air and at airports, maintaining civil aviation flight safety and handling hijacking and other sudden air security situations, in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Administration of China{{Cite web |title=中国民航空中警察总队二支队2022年度部门决算 |trans-title=China Air Marshal 2nd Detachment 2022 Budget |url=http://www.caac.gov.cn/PHONE/XXGK_17/XXGK/CZXX/202309/P020230914340424492378.pdf |access-date=2025-03-30}}
• Traffic Management (17th Bureau of the MPS)
• Foreign Affairs (19th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for the security of foreign embassies in China and for liaison work in Chinese embassies and consulates abroad
• Household Registration: Responsible for maintaining household registration and administering the Hukou system
• Immigration or Border Inspection: Operating as CII (itself a child agency of the MPS)
• Others such as patrol units, port units, tactical units, and aviation units.

File:Ford Transit Pro police van IMG001.jpg

The State Security Police are responsible for intelligence collection and analysis, counter-espionage, political security, and also partially participate in domestic security affairs.

These officers operate under the MSS. They generally perform secret police duties and help maintain social stability and preserve the power of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

They should not be confused with the 1st Bureau of the MPS (described above in the Public Security Police section), despite sometimes similar duties and overlapping missions.

The Judicial Administrative Police consists mainly of police officers stationed in prisons and drug rehabilitation centers.

Prison Police oversee prison security, carry out prison guard duties, and aid in prison administration, similar to correctional officers in other nations.

Drug Rehabilitation Police handle the enforcement of isolation and drug rehabilitation efforts for drug addicts, along with corrective measures for minor offenders.

They should not be confused with the judicial police of the courts and procuratorates.

The Court Judicial Police are responsible for the security of People's Courts at the provincial, municipal and township levels. They belong to the judicial system and maintain order and security in courthouses and assist judges in judicial investigations.

The Procuratorate Judicial Police are responsible for the security of People's Procuratorates at the provincial, municipal and township levels. They belong to the judicial system and maintain order and security in procuratorates and assist public procurators in judicial investigations.

The rank system of the People's Police is as follows:Sun, Ivan Y. and Hebenton, Bill: [https://books.google.com/books?id=5dgpAAAAQBAJ The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Criminology] (2013), p. 65[https://books.google.com/books?id=B0IX4tsAoCcC Laws and Regulations of the People's Republic of China], Volume 10 (2001)

Some People's Police units carry {{cvt|3.6|ft|m|order=flip}} long electric batons with a cross-guard to catch melee weapons, two-handed maces, and long steel forks.{{cite news |last1=Loh |first1=Matthew |title=A police officer brought an 'electro-sword' to stand guard outside an exam center as Chinese students took the tests of their lives |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/police-officer-brings-electro-sword-guard-exam-center-china-2023-6 |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=Business Insider |date=8 June 2023}}

Until 2014, the use of firearms between People's Police officers was restricted to special units and teams during emergency situations.{{cite news |last1=Wan |first1=William |last2=Jing |first2=Xu |title=Newly armed police in China say they fear their guns as much as public |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/09/26/newly-armed-police-in-china-say-they-fear-their-guns-as-much-as-public/ |access-date=17 March 2025 |work=The Washington Post |date=22 December 2014}}

• Public Security Bureau
• People's Public Security University of China
• China People's Police University
• People's Armed Police

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Category:Law enforcement agencies of China

Category:Law enforcement in communist states

Category:Ministry of Public Security (China)