The recent high-profile case in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality calls for closer scrutiny of our judicial and law enforcement teams.

Wen Qiang, director of the Chongqing municipal judicial bureau and former deputy director of the Chongqing public security bureau, was arrested on charges of serving as a "protective umbrella" for local gangs.

In fact, a total of 1,544 suspected gang leaders and members, and 50 government officials accused of corruption were nabbed during the last two months of raids on the Chongqing underworld.

It would be wrong to think that Wen Qiang has always been providing protection to gangs. He made a name in 2000 for capturing the country's most wanted criminal, Zhang Jun. But he has himself degenerated over the last nine years to a point where he was colluding with the underworld.

It would be equally wrong to think of the gangs in Chongqing as comprising people holding guns and wielding knives. Far from that, many of them are celebrities - the rich and famous in the country's most populous city. Their ranks include deputies to the local legislature - the People's Congress; or, a member of the local political advisory body of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; or, heads of various local trade associations.

But, these are the same people who resort to organized crime, murder, extortion and bribery of government officials to develop their business. With people like Wen Qiang as protector, these gangsters are as bold as ever in their criminal acts.

While we are used to seeing undercover police penetrate and bust criminal gangs, we are appalled by the hard facts of how the underworld has infiltrated and compromised our judicial and law enforcement teams.

We are also shocked by the fact that some leaders of criminal gangs have been elected members of the legislative and political advisory bodies.

These hard facts call for close monitoring or even immediate investigation of our judicial and law enforcement teams as well as other government departments and institutions. For example, gang leaders reportedly prevailed in certain village elections - endangering the experiment of grassroots democracy in the country. It is also no secret that a number of property developers have colluded with both local police and gangs to evict people from their homes by force.

Although the busting of criminal gangs and corrupt officials in Chongqing has been regarded as a great victory, there is no room for complacency. The fact that judicial and law enforcement teams in such a big city can be compromised shows that it is a serious matter.

The Chongqing crackdown should be the start of an unrelenting campaign to ensure that judicial and law enforcement officials are always on the side of justice and the people.

Under no circumstances should they be allowed to compromise their sense of duty and side with the gangs.

(China Daily August 24, 2009)