Police training welcome move

Police on patrol at the Wuwei city's railway station in Gansu province on Feb 14. [Photo/Xinhua]

In a move to promote standardized law enforcement by police, a 70-minute training video produced by the Ministry of Public Security was shown to police officers across China on Tuesday.

The video shows the correct ways for police officers to handle different situations involving the public.

Noticeably, police officers are instructed not to stop onlookers from taking photos or shooting videos of their behavior unless it interferes with their duties. They are also informed that they must get used to working in front of the cameras of the public.

This is indeed necessary and marks a concrete step toward bringing police officers' behavior under the supervision of the public and promoting law enforcement in a manner that is itself in line with the law.

Reports of police officers abusing their powers damaged the image of the police and weakened their credibility. So it is right for the ministry to promote police officers following set procedures in the performance of their duties.

The Public Security Ministry's training video is aimed at standardizing the behavior of police officers in various situations they might encounter and thereby establishing a code of conduct.

The video shows officers how to act when they encounter non-violent resistance from suspects without resorting to the use of force.

If accustomed to standardized law enforcement that does not involve undue force, police officers will be less adverse to their behavior being videoed or photographed as they will be performing their duties as they should.

The latest training program marks the country's latest effort to forge a police force that fulfills its intended purpose of serving and protecting the public, and making people feel a greater sense of fairness and justice in the enforcement of the law.

--GMW.CN