Four Main Stages of Police Reforms in the World.

A Comparative Study of Community  Policing between China and the West:  A Case Study of the Nanjing Public Security Bureau’s Community Policing Programme

              Professor   Wang  Dawei

           1. Introduction

   Who is the farther of police force in the world?

Chinese say ,he is Sir Robert Peel,

but English scholars say, he is Guan Gong, the God of war in China.

   Since Sir Robert Peel created the London Metropolitan Police Department in 1829, there were four main stages of police reforms in the world.
    The first stage refers to Sir Robert Peel who established the  full-time and uniformed police in London in 1829.

   The second stage is the professionalism of the police in USA in 1920s.

The third stage refers to the modernisation of the police in the West from 1930s to 1970s.

The forth stage of police reform is community policing in the West from 1970s to present day (Wang 1995).

   2.The Nanjings                             Community Policing Programme

1.Community policing officers lived in the community

The Nanjing police station divided the community into small policing areas and assigned community policing officers in the area. In addition, one police report room was set up in every 1,000 population. This arrangement enabled community policing officers root in the community and cultivate his own ‘responsible field’. Being close to the people, community policing officers were able to enhance the police-public relationship and provide good quality services to the community.

2.110 patrol cars stayed in the community

3.Community police room

4.The responsibility contract system

       The responsibility contract system was implemented in rural areas. Ten households as a unit were required to sign the responsibility contract and it would be displayed in each family. The signed villagers needed to ensure that no crimes happened in their families. No their family members were allowed to participate in commercial sex, gambling and drugs. At the entrance of each village a wooden brand was made. It writes: “Villagers’ associating and defending village”.

5.Community police officers’ palm computer

   Each community policing officer was equipped with a palm computer – locally known as ‘community policing hand’. The palm computer was the similar size with a cigarette box. It stored all the information about the 1,000 households. The community police officer went anywhere with the ‘community policing hand’ to update the information about households and other changes in the community.

2. A Comparison between Chinese and Western Community Policing

   From EXETER ,UK to NANJING,CHINA.

   Since the 1970s, most countries in Europe and North America began to implement community policing - the fourth police reform. It is worthwhile to note that the Nanjing Public Security Bureau launched the third and fourth police reforms at the some time. In doing so, it is interesting to find that the Bureau could avoid the maladies in the process of police modernization, but also leap over the time to reach community policing in a single bound.

 Example one: Reactive Policing and Proactive Policing-------110 patrol cars stationed in the community

Example two: Watchman and Robot------ Community policing hand

           3.conclusion.

On the way to the mountain of policing reform, there are 3 horses are racing:

Horse A: England and Wales Model.

Horse B: Developing Country Model.

Horse C: Chinese Model.

Chinese police force , started his modernization in 1980’s. Later than the west about 50 years. He studied the road of Horse A: England and Wales Model. And Horse B: Developing Country Model.  Learnt  something from the 4 policing reform in the world. Tried  to find a short cut in terms of policing reform. I tend to believe that Chinese who created the first police force in the world, must play an important role in the stage of international policing reform.