NCJ Number
92870
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1983-84) Pages: 8-12
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The neighborhood police station is effective in the watching style of prevention because it is functionally and structurally integrated within the neighborhood. This type of crime prevention dominates in China.
Abstract
The watching strategy of crime prevention has become more prevalent in the West, with the new emphasis on Neighborhood Watch and other such programs. The People's Republic of China (PRC) relies heavily on watching. Watching on the part of the citizens reflects Mao's philosophy, which relies on citizen participation rather than professionalization. The PRC efforts to maintain order do not have the typically Western constraints of judiciary that must uphold due process. PRC neighborhood police strive to conform to the Maoist injunction to maintain close contact with the workers and peasants. The police educate the people about the laws and emphasize the need to conform to 'socialist consciousness.' Above the neighborhood level are professional units in which the prevailing ethics is that of compliance with a political, rather than professional, ideology. Neighborhood police do not arrest, but instead turn to this higher level of professionals. Because of Maoist ideology that gives priority to duty over privacy, the Chinese have little compunction about taking action where deviance is suspected. Public security committees, composed of citizens, assist the police. Fourteen notes are included.