Inquiry Into The Police Function During Social Transformation

Social transformation refers to the social function mechanism transformation from one type to another, i.e. the transformation from traditional society to modern society. The social transformation here in this paper refers to the particular period from 1978 when China launched the reform and opening up to nowadays. During the social transformation, industrial structure transforms quickly, interest structure changes fast and the political system keeps adjusting itself to new challenges, therefore, this is also a period when social conflicts might be more critical, economy might be easier to be unbalanced, social order might be instable and morality might be undermined, causing series of social problems.On the 4th session of 16th national convention of CPC, our party put forward the goal to build harmonious society characterized by democracy and ruling by law, justice, sincerity and friendliness, stability and order, harmonious relation between the human being and the nature. The police force undertakes huge social and political responsibilities of"safeguarding administration of CPC, maintaining long period of order and stability, ensuring people to live and work in peace and contentment", therefore playing a vital pole in harmonious society construction and facing great challenges than ever before. On one hand, social conflicts during transformation make the task to maintain social stability more difficult, on the other hand, there are still some defections need the police to overcome in management mechanism, organization structure and policing mechanism. Under the above mentioned circumstances, it is of both theoretical and realistic value to research on police function and put forward resolutions.Marxism thinks the police come into being along with the state. The state is a tool to maintain class governing, while the police are the tool of governing-class to maintain state regime. There are two basic police functions: first political function, i.e. to using law enforcement power to control under-governing class and suppress any breakages to undermine existing political, legal, and social order; second administrative function, i.e. to using state power to manage public affairs, including public order management and public service.For a long period, our domestic researches on police function mainly set foot on class nature of the police. Most scholars think the political function is dominant, while the administrative function is secondary. Influenced by such theory, the emphasis in root-grounded policing is often put on fighting and management, instead of prevention and management. This paper, in administration theory, focuses on relocate the police function during the transformation and government restructure as an important composition of state administration.This paper is composed of four parts. Chapter 1( Preface) introduces the background, significance and current researches both at home and abroad of the selected topic. Chapter 2 introduces definition and history of police function, putting forward that the center of police function shifts with the change of domestic conflicts, and the change of state function. Chapter 3 analyzes the challenges of transformation to current policing in two ways: firstly the working environment, i.e. the object----social order environment, secondly the subject----management mechanism, organizational structure and policing pattern of the police force. Chapter 4 is the emphasis of the whole paper, putting forward the opinion to devote to service-oriented policing, defining the concept of"service-oriented policing", emphasizing the idea of"service", clarifying significance of establishment of service-oriented policing, and identifying the ways, contents and system guarantee.Service-oriented policing, compared with traditional controlling policing, is not to deny political suppress and public administration functions. It means the police force is not the pure class dictatorship tool, or pure"administrator"of social life, it shall be"civil servants"of the society by strengthening public administration function and proving public security to people. Challenged by complicated and severe public order situation during the transformation, the police on one hand shall enhance fighting crimes and maintaining the social stability so that to create a good public order environment for development, on the other hand shall shift duty idea in accordance with new requirements of people and society by setting people's security sense and satisfaction as starting point, conducting policing reform, intensifying service idea and improving service quality and level.This paper tries to innovate in the following 2 ways by absorbing existing research accomplishments: firstly defining service-oriented policing from the public nature of police according to new public administration theory, and emphasizing service and people oriented idea; secondly putting resolutions to those problems existing in organization structure, operation mechanism and policing pattern, which are beneficial for the police force to be more effective and justice when providing public security.