"Trapped” Justice Inside the Wall: Exploring the Power Dynamics of Plural Policing in China

• In Event: Policing Strategies Across Communities and Contexts

Abstract

Due to severe police manpower shortages in China, non-police actors have been increasingly involved in policing activities. While this plural policing pattern has relieved the workload of frontline police officers to some extent, it has also brought new challenges. This study examines the power dynamics of interactions between the police and non-police sectors beneath the façade of plural policing in China. Drawing on 40 in-depth interviews and six months of participant observations, the study sheds light on how police and non-police actors collude and the dynamics and strategies they employ when dealing with injustices within the community. The findings reveal that inside the gated communities, police are often reluctant to intervene extensively in so-called "petty crimes" or disputes, and instead rely more on non-police actors. Consequently, addressing internal injustices, such as domestic violence, that occur within families inside these communities becomes challenging. These issues struggle to garner attention from formal judicial authorities and find resolutions, further exacerbating the difficulties in addressing such injustice in formal legal approaches. This study not only contributes to a deeper understanding of the essence of plural policing in China but also provides insights into the discourse surrounding state-society relations in an authoritarian state.

Author

• Yi Liu, The University of Hong Kong