Policing China: Street-Level Cops in the Shadow of Protest

Suzanne E. Scoggins' book Policing China explores the paradox of China's self-projection of a strong security state with a weak police bureaucracy, highlighting the challenges faced by ground-level officers and their superiors in dealing with everyday crime and security failures.

Format: Hardback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2021
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In her book "Policing China," Suzanne E. Scoggins delves into the paradoxical situation of China's self-projection of a strong security state while facing significant challenges in its police bureaucracy. Scoggins assesses the problems plaguing the Chinese police, beyond their involvement in suppressing political protests, including inadequate resources, enforcement issues, and lack of oversight. She argues that the central government and the Ministry of Public Security have prioritized stability maintenance (weiwen) at the expense of nearly all aspects of policing. This has led to a hollowed-out and ineffective police force that struggles to deal with everyday crime.

To explore these challenges, Scoggins conducts in-depth interviews with police officers across different hierarchical levels, as well as analyzes station data, news reports, and social media postings. She sheds light on the difficulties faced by ground-level officers and their superiors at the Ministry of Public Security, who are tasked with carrying out their duties amidst funding limitations, reform challenges, and structural issues.

Through her research, Scoggins concludes that despite the social control exerted by China's powerful bureaucracies, security failures at the street level have eroded Chinese citizens' trust in the legitimacy of the police and the capabilities of the state. The book serves as a valuable contribution to understanding the complexities of policing in a country with a vast population and a complex political landscape.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501755583