Liaoning police take live video petition
- Source: Global Times
- [01:30 December 11 2009]
- Comments
Police officers listen to a petitioner via a video conferencing system in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. Residents in remote areas of the province may file complaints or make requests with police officials through this new system. Photo: CFP
By Xu Shenglan
Residents in Liaoning Province who want to file a complaint or request on public security issues may do so remotely at their neighborhood police stations through a televised conference system.
The system, launched Thursday, allows residents to raise their issues by speaking into a camera instead of having to travel to Shenyang, the capital.
The local police accepted 17 cases Thursday, the China News Service said.
"The video reception will minimize the petitioners' cost and maximize the efficiency of reception work, which won't be restricted by numbers of petitioners, time, venue, weather or other factors," said Meng Wei, director of the Letters and Visits Office, Public Security Department of Liaoning Province.
Meng said video reception will maximize the use of police resources, as there are more than 42 million people and 71,000 police officers in Liaoning Province.
"It's a tough job for every policeman to take charge of 591 residents' security and social service work on the average," he said.
Residents may meet with officials on the 10th day of each month, or other days arranged by the police stations. Professionals in security, law, detection and eight other areas will respond to the petitioners at the local public security departments.
The issues raised by the petitioners must be tackled as soon as possible, and officials are asked to respond to the petitioners within 60 days, according to the provincial public security department.
Officials who fail to follow the order of the department will be investigated. In addition to hearing petitions, the officials will also ask the petitioners to provide comments and sugges-tions on law enforcement.
The system is available in all police stations in urban and rural areas in the province. Pilot programs were launched in remote areas before it was rolled out across the province.
The public can still choose the traditional way to appeal to the leadership for intervention.
A local resident surnamed Qin said he would not use the video reception system to express his views out of fear that criminals might have access to the video and take retaliation.
Liaoning is the first province to try such a system.
