A new regulation aimed at curbing corruption among the police in
Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has stirred a
heated debate over whether their privacy should be respected.
Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department declared on
January 2 that all police officers should report to their
higher-ups private activities such as marriages or divorces, and
purchases of houses and cars.
It is the first regulation issued by a provincial public
security department categorically asking the police to report
details of their private lives, according to analysts.
?
"The new regulation aims at preventing corruption and building
up a people-oriented work environment," said Xiao Shuxiang,
spokesperson of the police department.
"As police, we need to behave ourselves and set a good example
to the public. Otherwise, how can we tell others what is right
while we are doing wrong," Xiao said. "Also, our staff will get
timely help if they let us know their personal troubles."
But some police officers do not seem to appreciate these good
intentions.
"I think my bosses are intruding too much into my private life,"
said a policeman surnamed Li at the Saihongqiao branch of Nanjing
Public Security Bureau. "If I got divorced, I would not want others
to know about it. It is my business and has nothing to do with my
work. Why should I be forced to report it?"
"Also I am an adult. I can manage my life well without help from
others,"?he added.
But Li said that since it is a regulation, he has no choice but
to obey it.
According to Liu Zhengcao, a law expert with the Nanjing-based
Contemporary Security Law Firm, the regulation, though well meant,
violates citizens' privacy rights.
"The privacy of police should also be respected. They may be
asked for their marital or property status if they are involved in
legal cases as required by legal procedures. But there should be no
such requirements in their day-to-day life. This regulation is
invalid," said Liu.
According to Xiao, the regulation targets all 70,000 police
officers at various levels in the province. But those working
within the judicial system will not be included.
Police in the province are recruited from police college
graduates, demobilized soldiers and those passing the country's
civil-service examinations, according to Xiao.
The new regulation in Jiangsu also requires the police to report
their activities while they are in foreign countries, even if it is
a private trip.
A lot of instances of police being involved in corruption and
violence have been reported in the country in recent years.
(
China Daily January 5, 2006)