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Give Chinese police more guns
It has come to my attention recently that the Chinese police need more guns. In fact, they are in desperate need of more authority. Of course, a traffic policeman is not the most glamorous of jobs at the best of times, but being a Chinese traffic policeman seems to be especially tough. I have often been bemused at the sight of a bedraggled cop trying to mediate between two parties who have been involved in a traffic accident. The unfortunate cop is usually reduced to a hapless listener as the two parties continue their argument unabated. I don’t want to sound too right-wing, but I think police (like school teachers) need to give off an air of authority. Freedom can inspire creativity and happiness, but absolute freedom will probably result in anarchy. Governments create laws to keep societies in check and they need police to enforce the laws. I often have the sneaking suspicion that the laws aren’t very well enforced in China because the police don’t have enough authority.
I find the cops in Australia quite intimidating. When they strut around the streets on patrol, they look authoritarian – their backs are ramrod straight, they’re well-dressed and their pistols are firmly holstered. Of course, Australian cops are no angels and each state police force has been caught up in corruption. However, due to their intimidating presence, most law-abiding citizens know not to mess with the cops. The Chinese police on the other hand, are poorly dressed and seem pretty much useless. A lot of people talk about how China has security guards posted outside nearly every building, but unfortunately these guards have not one iota of power. They can’t even stop a thief from stealing a bicycle – they actually need to give a call to the police and let them handle it. After forgetting about the guards, visitors to China will discover that there isn’t much of a police presence on the streets. Often the only time you can see a police vehicle is when a policeman is dropping his kid off at school. When the police are required to do something, they’re often useless anyway. Most Chinese police do not carry weapons, so they usually cannot apprehend armed criminals and are forced to stand-by as someone gets hurt.
So why don’t Chinese cops have guns? I believe the answer to this lies with a three-letter acronym – the PLA. The People’s Liberation Army is the most powerful organisation in China and enjoys its monopoly on armed law enforcement. Unfortunately, the PLA isn’t very good at dealing with things that should be dealt with by the civilian authorities. Things such as mass civilian protests for example. However, the majority of police still don’t carry guns because the PLA doesn’t want anybody chipping away at their power. Even the creation of the People’s Armed Police (PAP) seems like a huge compromise. It is a force ‘shared’ between the PLA and the Ministry of Public Security, but according to Sino Defence, the Central Military Commission increased its control over the PAP in 1993. The result is that China is still a country unable to enforce the law. The police have little power and are easily corrupted. The PLA on the other hand, has too much power, but is not required to enforce day-to-day laws.
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Posted: 6:45 PM, 19/7/2007 in ChinaShare on Facebook |
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Give them legitimacy and then, maybe guns.
| Giving guns to people who are not deemed to have 'legitimate' authority in a society does not automatically produce the result that you desire. That is, you want the authority of a Chinese police officer be recognised by Chinese people. British police command authority within their society and they are not armed. That is because they are recognised by the community as the legitmate law enforcers. No one else can enforce the law in Britain but the police - especially not the political parties. |
Posted by tkrautz at 4:04 PM, 9/8/2007 |
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Chinese police
| If you had seen Chinese police in Taiwan in the 1950s - 80's, you would not feel this way. Tough, retired soldiers who stood ramrod straight, and put the fear of God into misbehaving civilians. Not afraid to take responsibility and stand by their judgment. Not playing the political games played currently by cops in China, who are more interested in getting through each day without incident and that much closer to a comfy retirement, rather than asserting themselves and ensuring order. Different times. |
Posted by Nu Yawka at 1:14 AM, 28/8/2007 |
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