Reinforce armed police with legal backing
- Source: Global Times
- [00:19 August 27 2009]
- Comments
Nearly 27 years since its formation, the mobilization and deployment of the Chinese armed police force has operated under an embarrassingly blank legal situation. This has severely crippled its ability to respond to domestic emergencies and security threats.
This legal weakness will be addressed in the first law regarding the Chinese armed police force, scheduled to pass this week at the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
During a second reading of the draft, legislators made it clear that it is within the armed police's duties to handle riots, unrest, large-scale violent crimes, terrorist attacks, and other security incidents.
Many modern countries have adopted the principle of deploying the military for overseas security missions and relying on armed police to ensure domestic security. The National Guard of the US, for example, is a major domestic security force for the nation.
The estimated 1.5-million-strong Chinese armed police shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the safety of 1.3 billion citizens, a pressing challenge made increasingly grave by fast social transformation.
In recent years, the country has been confronted with more mass incidents, riots and unrest. These increasingly complex security challenges have required a greater role for the armed police, making a clear legal framework a necessity.
Contrary to the prevailing misconception that the Chinese armed police force is sometimes abusively used in quelling unrest, a less known fact is that the armed police were unable to fully perform their duties in some recent massive riots, resulting in severe civilian casualties.
In the Xinjiang riots last month, one armed police officer was stoned to death by the rioters while he was told to remain on standby. This tragedy illustrates the urgency of creating a law clearly defining the role and responsibility of armed police in such emergencies.
Understandably, the legislative move raised the concern of the possibility of abusive use of the armed police. The widespread misuse of power in China's law enforcement agencies has been the source of public uproar lately.
In dealing with mass incidents, local governments have sometimes been too quick to call the armed police to the scene in a bid to deter possible rioters, failing to realize their presence would actually provoke further confrontation.
The fact is such abuse can only be avoided through clear legislation. The draft law canceled a stipulation that gives county-level governments authority to mobilize the armed police.
The draft law makes it clear that deployment of the armed police must be in line with the rules of the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and armed police should report to higher authorities in the event of an improper deployment ordered locally.
By clearly delineating the duties of the armed police, the legislators took a right and necessary step in protecting the safety of civilians.
