On Police Selective On-site Law Enforcement

Selective law enforcement during on-site law enforcement is a relatively common phenomenon in police law enforcement practice.Its essence is the differential treatment of the same situation.That is,during the process of on-site law enforcement,the police are either acting or not acting in response to the basically identical legal facts or use different ways,which are expressed in the different objects,different time and space,different law provision and different ways of selective law enforcement.This study summarizes the main reasons for the selective law enforcement on the spot of police in grass roots by investigating the G Police Station in Hangzhou,including the heavy enforcement tasks,the pressure of achieving the rigid target and maintaining stability,as well as the tension in law enforcement caused by the "Camera" of the We Media,etc.All of them have prompted police to choose selective law enforcement during the on-site law enforcement,in order to complete task,while avoiding the risk of law enforcement.From the subjective perspective,the space for the application of law gives the police the space of choice,and the contradiction between the complexity of the law enforcement environment and the lack of police resources also forces the police to“enforce the law selectively”.From the subjective perspective,the on-site law enforcement of police is influenced by the individual characteristics of police,that is,it is influenced by the experience and judgment,the law enforcement ability and personal preference of police.Therefore,“enforcing the law selectively” will also result in the abuse of choice leading to the alienation of selective law enforcement.The police's on-site selective law enforcement is rooted in the contradiction between justice and efficiency of law enforcement.When the police resources are relatively fixed and limited,and the relationship between the police resources and order maintenance is tense,the police will resort to selective law enforcement to improve their efficiency.This kind of selective law enforcement reflects the "rational helplessness" dilemma,and it is also accompanied by problems such as unfair law enforcement and favoritism.If we can consciously and rationally allocate law enforcement resources,prompt the police to make impartial choices,and exert scientific supervision and regulation to ensure the efficiency of on-site law enforcement,then we can achieve greater social justice.Therefore,the police's on-site selective law enforcement can be reasonable and legitimate.