National Assembly adopts amended Public Security Law

The Public Security Law (amended) includes 7 chapters, 46 articles. The law will take effect from July 1, 2019. The amended Public Security Law serves as an immediate and important legal basis for streamlining the apparatus of the Public Security Forces and reorganizing the forces for more efficiency and effectiveness. 

National Assembly adopts amended Public Security Law.

Before the voting, the National Assembly discussed and then passed three articles, including Article 16, which regulates the tasks of the People's Public Security Forces; Article 17 on the organizational system of the People’s Public Security Forces and Article 25 of the highest rank for positions and titles of People’s Public Security officers.

Regarding the organizational system of the People's Public Security Forces (Article 17), especially the commune police force, the amended Public Security Law provides that the building of a new commune police force must follow a roadmap to ensure the feasibility, effectiveness and comprehensiveness, in line with the implementation of the Party’s policy on the reform and streamlining of the political system for effectiveness and efficiency. 

Meanwhile, the Public Security Forces must also ensure the personnel, facilities and conditions for the building of the professional commune police force. (Currently, combatants at the commune police level are largely semi-professional and non-commissioned. The regularization of the commune police force means commissioned police officers must be assigned to in-charge positions at commune police stations).

To avoid the waste of human resources, the current officers at commune police stations will continue their current tasks of ensuring security and order at the grassroots level. 

As for the highest ranks in accordance with relevant positions of police officers (Article 25), the number of positions with the ranks of general decreases compared with the current regulations. The general ranks for highest positions are as follows: General: Minister of Public Security; Senior Lieutenant General: Deputy Minister of Public Security (maximum 6 persons); Lieutenant General: No more than 35. Major General: No more than 157.