Police told to film interrogations
Print Edition
CHINA will require police to film and record all interrogations in criminal cases to ensure that law enforcement is carried out fairly and that suspects’ rights are protected.
The requirement, approved by the Ministry of Public Security, includes a plan to improve evidence gathering and the accountability of police officers handling cases.
According to a recent policy paper, Chinese police are to establish an accountability system for officers in the light of high-profile cases. The paper, which focuses on public security reform, vows to improve law enforcement responsibility, the correction system and establish life-long accountability for erroneous cases.
It adds that, to ensure accountability, investigators should take responsibility for the cases they investigate.
In addition, it calls for changes to the way in which police handled cases, to prevent miscarriages of justice and the use of torture to secure confessions.
Public discontent over wrongful punishment in China has been growing.
In December, the parents of a teenager executed 18 years ago for a rape and murder he did not commit were compensated after the Inner Mongolia High Court overturned his conviction. The real killer was sentenced to death last week.
In another case, a former food stall owner who was on death row was acquitted of poisoning two children. Nian Bin said he was tortured into confessing.
The Ministry of Public Security also said the credibility of the police had been damaged by instances of police accepting bribes and bending the law to serve themselves.
A ministry official, who declined to be named, admitted that although the quality and level of law enforcement had improved, many problems still existed.
“Law enforcement is not strict, not standardized, not just. The trading of power for money and bending the law for personal gain seriously undermines police credibility,” the official said.
The policy paper also said an administrative system that differed from the one applied to civil servants will be built for the police. Police officers’ benefits will be higher than those of civilian public servants and slightly below members of the armed forces.
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