The People's Police () is the national civilian police force of the People's Republic of China. It is led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The People's Police include the People's Police of Public Security Organs, the People's Police of State Security Organs, the People's Police of Judicial Administration Organs, the Judicial Police of People's Courts, and the Judicial Police of People's Procuratorates. The Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate are the highest leadership and command organs of the above-mentioned categories of People's Police, and all of them are under the leadership of the CCP's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission. The People's Armed Police, which is led and managed by the Central Military Commission, is part of the national armed forces and does not belong to the People's Police.
Roles Police in China have a variety of roles in addition to enforcing the law.
They are also responsible for the maintenance of social stability (), 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 National Immigration Administration (NIA), 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.
Title In the PRC, People's Police refers to the identity of law enforcement officers, while Public Security or the police denotes a specific government agency, namely the public security organs. 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.
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.
History 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:
Branches According to the People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China (1995), the People's Police comprises five components: People's Police of Public Security Organs
Working under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) People's Police of State Security Organs
Working under the Ministry of State Security (MSS) People's Police of Judicial Administrative Organs
Working under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) Judicial Police of People's Court
Working under the Supreme People's Court (SPC) Judicial Police of People's Procuratorate
Working under the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP)
Public Security Police 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.At a glance! 60 reform plans for the party, government, army, region and group, News.163.com, 21 March 2018
State Security Police 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 political security police (which belong to public security organs), despite sometimes similar duties and overlapping missions.
Judicial Administrative Police
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.
Court Judicial Police
The Court Judicial Police are responsible for the security of People's Courts at the provincial, municipal, and county levels. They belong to the judicial system and have the following roles:
Maintaining order and security in courthouses Providing law enforcement and security support during trials and other court proceedings Assisting judges with courtroom procedures
Procuratorate Judicial Police
The Procuratorate Judicial Police are responsible for the security of People's Procuratorates at the provincial, municipal and county levels. They belong to the judicial system and have the following roles:
Conducting investigations on crimes relating to obstruction of justice and abuse of rights Ensuring transparency and fairness in procuratorates Providing law enforcement and security to procuratorates along with maintaining order
Oath Public Security Police
Unofficial English translation:
Court Judicial Police
Unofficial English translation:
Ranks The is as follows:Sun, Ivan Y. and Hebenton, Bill: The Routledge Handbook of Chinese Criminology (2013), p. 65Laws and Regulations of the People's Republic of China, Volume 10 (2001) InsigniaRank (Chinese)()))))))))))))))English language equivalentCommissioner GeneralDeputy Commissioner GeneralCommissioner First ClassCommissioner Second ClassCommissioner Third ClassSupervisor First ClassSupervisor Second ClassSupervisor Third ClassSuperintendent First ClassSuperintendent Second ClassSuperintendent Third ClassConstable First ClassConstable Second ClassProbationary ConstableCadet In the People's Police, ranks are separate from position, and according to Article 8 of the "People's Republic of China's Law on People's Police Ranks", the following positions require an officer with the following ranks:
The person(s) responsible for a Ministry level agency/unit of the People's Police has to be ranked Commissioner General The person(s) responsible for a deputy ministry level agency/unit of the People's Police has to be ranked Deputy Commissioner General The person(s) responsible for a department level agency/unit of the People's police can be either ranked Commissioner First Class or Commissioner Second Class The person(s) responsible for a deputy department level agency/unit of the People's Police can either be a Commissioner Second Class or Commissioner Third Class The person(s) responsible for a division level agency/unit of the People's Police can be ranked between commissioner third class to supervisor second class The person(s) responsible for a deputy division level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor first class to supervisor third class The person(s) responsible for an office level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor 1st class to superintendent 1st class The person(s) responsible for a deputy office level agency/unit can be ranked between Supervisor 2nd class to Superintendent 2nd class Police sergeants can be ranked between Supervisor 3rd class to Superintendent 3rd class Police officers can be ranked between Superintendent 1st class to Constable 2nd class
Auxiliary Police (), better known as Auxiliary Police ( or ) are often hired by local public security bureaus. According to the "Administrative Measures for Police Auxiliary Officers of Public Security Organs in Guangdong Province" (2016), article 5 states that they are not part of the People's Police (Meaning they are not Sworn officers) but are instead managed by the People's Police.
Article 8 of the Measures states that auxiliary officers have the following duties:
Assisting in preventing and stopping crime Assisting in patrols Assisting in apprehension, investigation, monitoring and guarding suspects Assisting protecting order at crime scenes along with evidence and rescuing casualties Assisting in traffic enforcement and conflict negotiation Assisting in monitoring drug rehabilitation and confiscation of narcotics Assisting in protecting jails Participating in firefighting Assisting in public relations and promotion of road safety and anti-drug campaigns Assisting in Police interviews Driving People's police automobiles, motorcycles, vessels and aircraft Other duties done by auxiliary officers
Article 9 states that auxiliary officers have the following duties:
Organization of documents and files, receiving phone calls and other requests Psychological counseling, website management, data analysis, safety tests, communications maintenance, financial analysis, non-confidential financial management and lab tests. Management and repairing police equipment Other duties done by auxiliary officers
Article 10 states that auxiliary officers are prohibited from the following duties:
Work related to national security, technical reconnaissance, Anti-Cult and anti-terrorism Work related to confidential information Management of evidence reports and traffic accident responsibility Conducting correctional duties Executive duties Reviewing cases Owning or using firearms or police equipment Enforcing the law on their own Other duties legally assigned to the People's Police
The following are not allowed to be auxiliary officers, per article 17:
People with a criminal record are of suspected of committed a crime who has not yet been declared innocent or guilty People who have been placed in jail, juvenile detention, prostitution rehabilitation or with a history of taking drugs People fired by the Ministry of State Security (or its child agencies) or their government agency