A senior Chinese leader is calling for the police and judiciary to improve their work to better cope with social conflicts, according to an article to be published by the Party Journal Qiushi, or Seeking Truth on Thursday.

Luo Gan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed in the article that frequent criminal cases, civil lawsuits, mass incidents and other bylaw infractions in China are indicators of profound social change.

Laws and regulations have become important tools and police and judicial authorities are key to easing social conflicts, Luo writes.

The public has gained new awareness of democracy and the rule of law and so has higher expectations for judicial fairness and effectiveness, said Luo, who is also secretary of CPC Central Committee for Political and Legislative Affairs.

The article noted that police and judicial departments play a crucial role in building a harmonious society, and flaws in law enforcement can have a negative social impact.

Police and judicial departments should turn disadvantages into advantages to promote a harmonious environment while cracking down on crimes, resolving disputes and tackling emergencies, to make people feel safer, he said.

Some people joined mass incidents not to seek benefits for themselves, but as an opportunity to voice concerns over grudges that have been accumulating for a long time, and this is worth careful study, he warned in the article.

Police and judicial departments should base their authority not on their power, but on the credit they have with the public, who applaud rigid law enforcement, warm services and adherence to fairness and justice, he said.

He called for a harsh crackdown on economic crimes including confiscating all illegal gains to calm the public's anger over unearned benefits.

He ordered tough penalties for corrupt officials involved in illegal deals in the restructuring of state-owned enterprises, land expropriation,demolition, medical treatment, education and commercial bribery.

He also urged improvement in legal aid to ensure that poorer people get their complaints heard.

Source: Xinhua