China reigns in brutal police tactics
( 2003-09-09 16:54) (Xinhua)
The Ministry of Public Security has issued a new regulation to bring police
activities under stricter control, in order to stop illegal practices such as
torture,threats and deception to secure confessions or investigate offenses.
The new regulations, which go into force on January 1, 2004, also decree that
police officers should respect the dignity of suspects when conducting
investigations; must not dish out on-the-spot fines in prostitution cases; and
do not exercise administrative detention of people suffering from infectious
diseases.
Police officers will not be permitted to interview suspects for more than 12
hours at a stretch, but may extend to 24 hours with special permission. Police
may not confiscate money and goods of suspects for more than 15 days.
People will be permitted to refuse to pay a fine if the police decline to
give receipts, which must be printed and issued by financial departments at the
provincial level or above.
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