People's Police (China)

Not to be confused with the People's Armed Police, a paramilitary organization which reports to the Central Military Commission.

People's Police of China 中国人民警察 Zhōngguó Rénmín Jǐngchá
Badge of the People's Police (since 1983)
Flag of the People's Police (since 2020)
Common name	People's Police (人民警察)
Abbreviation	民警; Mínjǐng; 'People's Police'
Motto	"对党忠诚， 服务人民， 执法公正， 纪律严明" ("Be loyal to the party, serve the people, be impartial in law enforcement, and strict in discipline")
Agency overview
Formed	19 October 1949
Employees	1.8–1.9 million
Annual budget	$110 billion (est. 2019)
Jurisdictional structure
National agency (Operations jurisdiction)	People's Republic of China
Operations jurisdiction	People's Republic of China
Legal jurisdiction	People's Republic of China
Primary governing body	Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
Secondary governing body	Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
Constituting instrument	People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Overseen by	National Supervisory Commission
Headquarters	Beijing
Official responsible	Chen Wenqing, Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission
Agency executives	Wang Xiaohong, Minister of Public Security Chen Yixin, Minister of State Security
Parent agency	Ministry of Public Security Ministry of State Security Ministry of Justice Supreme People's Court Supreme People's Procuratorate
Facilities
Stations	5,000 (est.)
Notables
Anniversary	10 January (People's Police Day)
Website
MPS: www.mps.gov.cn MSS: www.12339.gov.cn

The People's Police (Chinese: 人民警察; pinyin: Rénmín Jǐngchá) is the national civilian police force of the People's Republic of China. Police in China have a variety of roles in addition to enforcing the law, they are also responsible for the maintenance of social stability (维护社会稳定; Wéihù Shèhùi Wěndìng), and in this sense policing in China performs 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 China Immigration Inspection (CII), 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 mainland China, 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 organ. 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).

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:

Tasks of the People's Police are to safeguard state security, maintain public order, protect citizens' personal safety and freedom and their legal property, protect public property, and prevent, stop and punish illegal and criminal activities. The People's Police consist of policemen working in public security organs, state security organs, prisons and organs in charge of reeducation through labor, as well as judicial policemen working in the People's Courts and the People's Procuratorates.

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
  • Chinese: 公安机关人民警察; pinyin: Gong'ān Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá
  • Working under the Ministry of Public Security (MPS)
• People's Police of State Security Organs
  • Chinese: 国家安全机关人民警察; pinyin: Guójiā Ānquán Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá
  • Working under the Ministry of State Security (MSS)
• People's Police of Judicial Administrative Organs
  • Chinese: 司法行政机关人民警察; pinyin: Sīfǎ Xíngzhèng Jīguān Rénmín Jǐngchá
  • Working under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ)
• Judicial Police of People's Court
  • Chinese: 人民法院司法警察; pinyin: Rénmín Fǎyuàn Sīfǎ Jǐngchá
  • Working under the Supreme People's Court (SPC)
• Judicial Police of People's Procuratorate
  • Chinese: 人民检察院司法警察; pinyin: Rénmín Jiǎncháyuàn Sīfǎ Jǐngchá
  • Working under the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP)

Please note, the People's Armed Police, led and managed by the Central Military Commission, is one of the country's armed forces and is not part of the People's Police force.

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. The responsibilities of different public security organ departments are clearly outlined. These departments include:

• Political Security (1st Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for maintaining social and political stability, upholding the political principles established by the Constitution, and handling cases that undermine national and cultural unity (with some tasks falling under the 4th Bureau, specifically those having to do with investigating religious activities and cults)
• Economic Crime Investigations (2nd Bureau of the MPS)
• Public Order Management (3rd Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for preventing, detecting and stopping illegal crimes and violent behaviour, handling mass incidents such as assemblies, demonstrations and maintaining order in public places, managing special industries and dangerous goods, and handling public security administrative law enforcement cases
• Criminal Investigations (5th Bureau of the MPS)
• Food and Forestry (7th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for issues of food, the ecological environment, forest and grassland, and biological safety cases
• Railway (10th Bureau of the MPS)
• Special Service (8th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for the security tasks of Communist Party and State leaders, major provincial leaders and important visiting foreign guests
• Anti-Narcotics (21st Bureau of the MPS)
• Public Information Network Security (11th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for monitoring the contents of public Internet websites, e-mails, chat messages and visitation records
• Detention Center Management (13th Bureau of the MPS): Oversees the administration of detention centers and Qincheng Prison (note that all other prisons instead fall under the MOJ, which has its own, different, Prison Police)
• Customs Anti-Smuggling (14th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for handling customs smuggling cases, in collaboration with the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of Customs
• Civil Aviation (15th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for handling administrative law enforcement cases in the air and at airports, maintaining civil aviation flight safety and handling hijacking and other sudden air security situations, in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Administration of China
• Traffic Management (17th Bureau of the MPS)
• Foreign Affairs (19th Bureau of the MPS): Responsible for the security of foreign embassies in China and for liaison work in Chinese embassies and consulates abroad
• Household Registration: Responsible for maintaining household registration and administering the Hukou system
• Immigration or Border Inspection: Operating as CII (itself a child agency of the MPS)
• Others such as patrol units, port units, tactical units, and aviation units.

Shanghai PSB Ford Transit Pro police van

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 1st Bureau of the MPS (described above in the Public Security Police section), 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 township levels. They belong to the judicial system and maintain order and security in courthouses and assist judges in judicial investigations.

Procuratorate Judicial Police

The Procuratorate Judicial Police are responsible for the security of People's Procuratorates at the provincial, municipal and township levels. They belong to the judicial system and maintain order and security in procuratorates and assist public procurators in judicial investigations.

Ranks

The rank system of the People's Police is as follows:

English language equivalent	Rank (Chinese)	Insignia
Cadet	学员 (xuéyuán)
Probationary Constable	见习警员 (jiànxí jǐngyuán)
Constable Second Class	二级警员 (èrjí jǐngyuán)
Constable First Class	一级警员 (yījí jǐngyuán)
Superintendent Third Class	三级警司 (sānjí jǐngsī)
Superintendent Second Class	二级警司 (èrjí jǐngsī)
Superintendent First Class	一级警司 (yījí jǐngsī)
Supervisor Third Class	三级警督 (sānjí jǐngdū)
Supervisor Second Class	二级警督 (èrjí jǐngdū)
Supervisor First Class	一级警督 (yījí jǐngdū)
Commissioner Third Class	三级警监 (sānjí jǐngjiān)
Commissioner Second Class	二级警监 (èrjí jǐngjiān)
Commissioner First Class	一级警监 (yījí jǐngjiān)
Deputy Commissioner General	副总警监 (fù zǒng jǐngjiān)
Commissioner General	总警监 (zǒng jǐngjiān)

See also

• Public Security Bureau
• People's Public Security University of China
• China People's Police University
• People's Armed Police