Lawyers to oversee disputes between police, public
- Source: Global Times
- [08:57 March 31 2011]
- Comments
By Yan Shuang
Lawyers have been enlisted by the Xicheng district public security bureau, starting Tuesday, to help settle disputes over acts of law enforcement.
When a suspect files a complaint about the police and claims to have been hurt during or after an arrest, the lawyer will gather the details and facts about the process of the arrest, make an analysis based on the law and report to the police afterwards.
If the suspect files a lawsuit against the police, the lawyer will be present in court, according to lawyer Han Dejing, who is participating in the program, the Beijing Daily reported Wednesday.
"Including a third party in solving disputes between the police and the public is great progress for China's judicial system," lawyer Yue Cheng with the Beijing Yuecheng Law Firm told the Global Times Wednesday.
"This system will help improve the fairness of law enforcement, since when the police are involved in disputes, they may not be able to think calmly, while a lawyer can help see the whole picture with a clear mind," Yue said.
According to Han, disputes that occurred during police enforcement work used to be settled by a legal affairs office under the police's authority, leaving the other party involved in the dispute with concerns over the third-party's objectivity, the report said.
"The new policy will protect the legal rights for both sides, and can help improve equality in police work," said Yue, suggesting that there are cases in China where police have not conducting law enforcement properly, and where the other party involved has failed to receive their legal rights.
"It's a new tryout for the Beijing police, first piloted in Xicheng district," Zi Xiangdong, media spokesman for the Beijing Public Security Bureau, said of the program.
The program will be applied citywide if the pilot goes well, according to Zi.
