NCJ Number
141367
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1993)
Date Published
1993
Length
28 pages
Annotation
Problems of policing in contemporary China are compounded by under-representation of the extent of the crime problem in publicly available statistics and effects of economic reform on crime.
Abstract
The authors suggest that certain structural alterations undertaken to facilitate economic reform have progressively weakened old policing methods and strategies. Rising crime trends in China correlate with public perceptions of uneasiness about law and order. In response, a new policing strategy has been developed to allow the police to initiate short assaults on particular crime types for limited periods. Also, China's criminal code has been amended to facilitate easier arrests, detentions, and prosecutions. The general public supports a tough policing approach that targets the social control of key areas. The police response to a rise in urban crime has relied heavily on reviving the urban street and neighborhood committee system and strengthening security committees. The targeting of both places and people by the police has formed the basis of China's campaign-style policing, and there has been a shift from preventive to punitive policing. 35 references and 5 tables