Meet Chengguan, China’s Notoriously Abusive Local Police

Video Editor: Varun Sharma

Viral social media posts in China often show a group of cops destroying street vendors’ stalls and beating them as well as beggars, and demolishing buildings which are under construction. Chengguan or the Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, assists the police in tackling minor crime in the city.

They are supposed to regulate street vendors, beggars, and unlicensed construction sites.

Established in 1997, they have become the public enemy number one as they indulge in brutality and operate under minimal supervision.

BBC reports that in testimonies given to Human Rights Watch, people detailed their abuse at the hands of Chengguan and spoke about being slapped, beaten and pushed out of vehicles on to streets. Some also spoke about confiscation of their possessions, which they had to pay for to be returned.

According to The Atlantic, they are an offshoot of China’s seismic economic changes. Influx of thousands of rural Chinese into urban spaces has expanded the informal economy and carved out a legal grey-zone where the Chengguan operates.

Atrocities committed by Chengguan have have had serious consequences over the years, including riots, one of which took place in the Guizhou province. However, this has raised several ethical debates about the harsh methods employed by Chengguan and who stands on the right side of the argument.

A report in the New York Times states that psychologists at the Psychological Crisis Intervention Center for Chengguan in Nanjing say that no matter what they do, the Chengguan’s work remains unrecognised and in disrepute. They also talked about Chengguan personnel asking for medical assistance.