China police granted unified certificate   (Xinhua)  Updated: 2006-05-30 11:37  
Nearly 1.6 million Chinese policemen will work with 
unified certificates for the first time since the founding of the People's 
Republic in 1949, aiming to facilitate easy identification and combat faking. 
  
 
 
 
 
 
   
 A new police ID card is displayed at a press conference 
 hosted by the Ministry of Public Security in Beijing on Tuesday, May 30, 
 2006. [CIIC]  |   
Nearly 1.6 million Chinese policemen will work with 
unified certificates for the first time since the founding of the People's 
Republic in 1949, aiming to facilitate easy identification and combat faking. 
  Fan Jingyu, a senior official in charge of personnel training with the 
Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) said at a press conference here Tuesday that 
from January 1 next year, former certificates issued by local public security 
administrations will be banned from using. 
  "All policemen in service 
should use the unified certificate granted by the MOPS," he said. 
  Experts said that the introduction of the new certificate will help 
ordinary people identify who is the real policeman, and ease the tension between 
the public and the cops in some places. 
  The certificate is a billfold 
carrying a special card. On the face of the billfold bares the words "China 
Police" in Chinese and on its back is "CHINA POLICE" in English, according to 
Fan. 
  With a sort of special technology, the card is highly 
anti-counterfeiting, and it contains full information about the holder, 
including a digital color photo, name, gender, date of birth, post, 
number-badge, rank, blood type and term of validity. 
  "We specify the 
blood type of relevant holders in the certificate to ensure timely medical 
treatment in case of emergency," Cao explained. 
  The first group of cops 
to use the card will be from the municipalities and provinces of Beijing, 
Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangdong and Shaanxi, on Wednesday this week, Fan 
said. 
  He noted that before the new certificate was introduced, cops in 
different Chinese provinces and regions used different certificates. 
  "The situation makes it difficult for the police to carry out 
cross-region investigations, and it is inconvenient for common people to 
identify and coordinate with the cops, " he said. 
  In addition, the 
unified certificate will help promote international cooperation, he said, adding 
that illegal manufacturing, selling, holding or using the certificate will be 
severely punished in accordance with relevant laws. 
  Cao also noted that 
armed police forces will not be granted the new certificate because they are 
regarded as military personnel on active service. They hold special certificates 
of their own. 
  The introduction of unified certificate is part of the 
MOPS' efforts to achieve a more standardized management of the police force. 
  Earlier this year, China has launched a program to upgrade police 
stations nationwide to make them have the same outlook, so the public can 
distinguish them from other buildings.  
  |