Law enforcement in Taiwan
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Law enforcement in Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) operates primarily through governmental police agencies.
History
The current police service in Taiwan traces its roots back to police forces established in Taiwan during Japanese colonial rule, as well as police services established in mainland China during the early 20th century.[1]
Japanese colonial period
The first formal police forces in Taiwan were organized by the
In the early days of Japanese colonial rule police were deployed to the cities to maintain order, often through brutal means, while the military was deployed to the countryside as a counterinsurgency and policing force. The brutality of early Japanese policing backfired and often inspired rebellion and insurrection instead of quashing it. This system was reformed by
Under Goto Shinpei police stations were established in every part of the island. Rural police stations took on extra duties with those in the aboriginal regions operating schools known as “savage children's educational institutes” to assimilate aboriginal children into Japanese culture. The local police station also controlled the rifles which aboriginal men relied upon for hunting as well as operated small barter stations which created small captive economies.[2]
Most of the members of the police forces during this time were expatriate Japanese, though towards the latter period of Japanese rule, locals began to be recruited. Throughout much of this time, the police forces were granted broad power and authority and allegations of
Police in the early ROC
The ROC's law enforcement system built upon the foundations laid down during the
Martial Law
During the period between 19 May 1949 and 14 July 1987, the Taiwan police system had a controversial page in Taiwan history.
Between 1945 and 1988, police officers in Taiwan wore
On 5 February 1951, by the power of the now-abolished law of contravention, police officers could grab men with long hairdo and use scissors to cut the men's long hair. So applied to mini-skirts, Hawaii shirts, flared trousers, or other clothes of the men or women with irregular dressing. On 5 February 1972, Taipei City Police Department even launched a mass-detainment against people who dressed like hippies.[5]
In 1972, to streamline organizational costs, the National Police Department was merged with the Taiwan Police Administration to form the new National Police Agency (NPA).[4]
The first 4 Directors-General of NPA, between 1972 and 1990, were active general officers transferred from Army or Marine Corps:
- Chou Ju-cun (周菊村), between 1972 and 1976;
- Kong Ling-Cheng (zh:孔令晟), between 1976 and June 1980;
- Ho En-ting (何恩廷), between June 1980 and 1 August 1984;
- Luo Chang (羅張),[6] between 1 August 1984 and 4 August 1990.
The latter three even served as two-star Marine Corps Commandants.
Secret police organizations
Historically speaking, in Taiwan, unlike Special Higher Police (
The Taiwan police system at that time only played as a supportive role, like performing frequent surveillance,
The typical secret-police example of the involvement from several security units is
Taiwan Garrison Command
The influence to Taiwan of this infamous late
Military Intelligence Bureau
General Political Warfare Department of the Ministry of National Defense
This military institution was the equivalence of the Third Chief Directorate of KGB in former Soviet Union. In the ROC Armed Forces, every military command, down to a company or a battery, has a commissioned officer served as the third-ranking officer and a political commissar, who is either dispatched from or trained by now "Political Warfare General Bureau", which was back then "General Political Warfare Department" of the office of the Ministry of National Defense.
However, the influence of this former General Department of Political Warfare was not just confined within the ROC military. Many commissioned officers from the branch of Political Warfare were directly transferred to the police system. One of them, Chen Bi (陳壁), even were promoted to the Police Commissioner of The Taiwan Provincial Police Administration.[10]
In the ROC, before 26 May 1995, military training lessons were mandatory to all students of senior high schools, colleges and universities.[11] As a result, there were and still are many military instructors stationed at every school more advanced than senior high schools. Naturally these military instructors are also commissioned officers in active duty either dispatched from or trained by the branch of Political Warfare. Before 1995, one of their missions at school is to closely watch, report, or even suppress any possible anti-government or political activity launched by students on or off campus.
Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau
The
National Security Bureau
The
Post-Martial Law era reforms
In 1990, Chuang Heng-dai (莊亨岱), by then the Commissioner of Railway Police Bureau, became the first career police officer with the background of a criminal investigator to take over the chief of NPA. Since then, all the successive directors-general of NPA are promoted from career police officers in active duty within the Taiwan police system.[10]
The Taiwan Provincial Police Administration was again separated from the NPA in 1995 with the implementation of local autonomy statutes in the
In 1999, with the downsizing of the provincial level of government, the Taiwan Provincial Police Administration was dissolved and its personnel and responsibilities were once again transferred to the National Police Agency.[4]
An increase in crime and liberalization of the mass media in the 1990s led to many questions concerning the effectiveness of the police force in investigating and fighting crime, as opposed to its prior concentration on crowd and riot control, a carryover from the martial law era.
Recent years
With increased media coverage in recent years and the proliferation of tabloid newspapers and 24-hour cable news channels throughout Taiwan, the police force has been faced with new challenges involving high-profile crimes, and increased media involvement.[12] Past concerns of police corruption have largely been replaced by concerns of police ineffectiveness, particularly in light of several high-profile cases in recent years. Gun related crime has also increased, though the overall crime rate in Taiwan remains lower than that of most western and Asian nations.
On 22 July 2000, four workers carrying out riverbed construction work in the
- The Airborne Squadron of National Police Agency,
- The Preparatory Office of the Airborne Fire Fighting Squadron of National Fire Agency,
- The Aviation Team of Civil Aeronautics Administration of Ministry of Transportation and Communications,
- The Air Patrol Squadron of the Coast Guard Administration.
NASC takes over the responsibilities of five major airborne tasks:Search and Rescue, Disaster Relief, Emergency Medical Services, Reconnaissance and Patrol, and Transportation.
On 26 July 2004, members of the Criminal Investigation Bureau engaged in what was arguably the largest gun battle in the history of modern Taiwan with members of a kidnapping gang in
In 2006, police selection criteria were amended to include all persons with a high school diploma between ages 18–28 able to pass a police civil service exam and undergo one year of training. This removed the past requirement where only graduates of specialized police colleges and universities were allowed to become police officers.[16]
On 28 February 2006,
On 2 Jan 2007, according to "the Organic Law of the National Immigration Agency" enacted on 30 Nov 2005, the NPA's former Immigration Office was expanded to become the National Immigration Agency under the direct control of the Ministry of the Interior, and Wu Cheng-chi (吳振吉) was named the first director general of NIA.
Police
Most actual law enforcement and day-to-day policing duties are delegated to local police departments on a
Unlike
In addition to normal law enforcement duties, police in the ROC are charged with other slightly more unusual duties such as taking census data, as well as immigration and visa related issues.[21] Most jurisdictions also have a Foreign Affairs squad staffed by English speaking officers tasked with visa enforcement and issues relating to foreigners or the foreign community in Taiwan.
In Taiwan, including islands of Kinmen and Matsu, there are a total of 1,615 various local police stations.[22]
Local Agencies
Local police departments exist for all administrative divisions above the county/provincial city level. There are 26 local departments in total. All local agencies are subordinate to the NPA as well as their respective local government, and all police officers wear the same uniform regardless of jurisdiction.
Local city and county governments are responsible for allocating funds for their local police departments and local police chiefs must attend city or county council meetings to answer questions from council members. While all high ranking police officers are subject to personnel rotation and transfer by the NPA, under the wake of local autonomy beginning in 1990, the NPA Director-General will usually consult with local officials regarding the appointment of local police chiefs.[19]
Municipal Police Departments
The Police Commissioners of the Taipei and Kaohsiung City Police Departments hold the rank of "Director-General, first level,"[23] which is the same as the Director-General of National Police Agency, before 2007.
Before 2007, although the Directors-General of the Taipei and Kaohsiung City Police Departments hold the same rank as the Directors-General of National Police Agency and Central Police University, the latter two are both presidential commissions and appointed by the Minister of the Interior. As a courtesy, the two local Directors-General usually wear a lower rank in public.[24]
After 2007, the rank Directors-General Supreme is created and specifically offered to the Director-General of National Police Agency. Currently, each of all 6 city police departments of special municipalities (Taipei City, Kaohsiung City, New Taipei City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Taoyuan City) is headed by a Director-General Level 1, and no longer wears a lower rank in public.
Taipei City Police Department
[25][26] Somehow different from the
Kaohsiung City Police Department
In retrospect to the organization of police administration of Kaohsiung City, it has gone through history and experienced the great changes of the society. In fact it has to be traced back to the time of Japanese colonization. At that time there was the establishment of Eastern Police Office, Western Police Office, Marine Police Office and Fire Police Office.
After the end of Japanese colonization in October 1945, they were used continuously until the official establishment of Police Office of
On 1 July 1970 the police office was furthermore promoted as the only one belonging to Grade A system in Taiwan Police System. Under it, there were 7 Police Precincts established. On 1 July 1979
Island Police Departments in Fujian
Kinmen and Lien-chiang County Police Departments are two local agencies which are historically out of the mainstream of Taiwan police system. The local police forces were merged into the two respective military theater garrison commands once or twice.
Since the direct travel between mainland China and Kinmen and Matsu was opened in 2002, the local police departments are put on heavier duty of border security and immigration checking.
Kinmen County Police Department
Its root can be traced back to China in 1915. The local police department was once disbanded in 1949 and replaced by the military security forces under the Kinmen garrison command. Then, in 1953, along with the reinstatement of Kinmen County government, Kinmen PD was detached from military command and assigned to the county government, which was still under the oversight of Kinmen military committee until 1992.
Today, its table of organization contains 312 police officers and three field police brigades: Forces of "Criminal Investigation", "Special Police" and "Traffic Police."
There is no police precincts(分局) in Kinmen. The Kinmen County Police Department has direct control over its six police institutes(所), which are somehow between the level of "police precinct" and "police station."[22]
"Wu-chiu dispatched Police Station" is attached to the Kinmen County Police Department for the convenience of administration.
Lienchiang County Police Department
It is stationed at Matsu Islands.
Lien-chiang County Police Department was formed with 17 police officers in 1956 as a military security detail "Lien-chiang County Police Institute" under Matsu military committee. In December 1965, it was re-designated as "Lien-chiang County Police Department." In May 1967, it was then separated from a military unit and turned into a real civilian police force with four dispatched police stations.
After two expansions in June 1979 and in November 1998, it now contains 124 police officers and two field police brigades: Forces of "Criminal Investigation" and "Special Police and Traffic."
In August 2001, Lien-chiang County Police Department reorganized and upgraded its four dispatched police stations to four "police institutes." Among them, two police stations are added to "
Military Police
ROCMP is responsible for enforcing
In accordance with; Clause 2, Section 1 of Article 229; Clause 2, Section 1 of Article 230; and Clause 2, Section 1 of Article 231 of The Criminal Procedure Code of the
Justice Investigation and National Security
Regarding drugs, corruptions, espionage, and economic crimes, the Investigative Bureau of Ministry of Justice (MJIB) has developed stronger capability to cover cases in those categories for decades. The investigation of these cases, police corruption included, are usually transferred to or led by the Bureau of Investigation.[citation needed]
Historically, counter-intelligence affairs are under the turf of MJIB. Different from "
Coast Guard
Smuggling and arms trafficking has been a long been an issue in Taiwan. Human-trafficking and its counterpart, prostitution, are increasingly serious problems in Taiwan. The maritime patrol of the Coast Guard Administration have the responsibility to stop those crimes at sea, and the coastal patrol of Coast Guard Administration are responsible for intercepting such criminal cases along the coast of Taiwan. The in-land territory of Taiwan should be the responsibility of individual local police departments or national law enforcement units from the NPA or MJIB.[citation needed]
Cases like smuggling and human-trafficking may cause turf wars between competing law enforcement agencies. In some examples, when brothels were raided by plain-clothes peace officers, the pimp would quietly go to the local police station and gather possible information about his girls in detention, but sometimes the pimp would later find that his girls were held up by the local coastal patrol units.[citation needed]
Public Prosecutor
The duty of the Prosecutor is to represent Government to investigate crime and to expose or reveal conspiracies or secrets, as well as to preserve the justice and fairness of a society. In criminal procedure, prosecution authorities are placed in all courts according to the Court Organic Act (法院組織法) to develop the rules of criminal procedure trial level function.[citation needed]
See also
- Constitution of the Republic of China
- Law of Taiwan
- Supreme Prosecutors Office
- National Police Agency (Taiwan)
- Organized crime in Taiwan
References
- ^ a b c d 張瑞楨 (2005-05-10). 大搜察線 (in Chinese). The Liberty Times. Archived from the original on 2006-12-14. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
- ^ a b Crook, Steven. "Highways and Byways: Handcuffed to the past". www.taipeitimes.com. Taipei Times. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ^ Haddon, R. (1987). "Mimesis and Motivation in Taiwan Colonial Fiction". B. C. Asian Review.
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(help) - ^ a b c "History". National Police Agency, ROC Ministry of the Interior. 2008-03-28. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
- ^ 政府取締奇裝異服男女. Formosa Television Inc. (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ^ 黃建華 (2006-04-24). 前警署長羅張 靈柩覆國旗 警軍高階首長 送最後一程 (in Chinese). The Liberty Times. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- ^ Peng, Ming-min (January 1972). "Surveillance". A TASTE OF FREEDOM. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- The Liberty Times. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- ^ 蔣介石派軍統特工遠赴越南追殺漢奸汪精衛內幕 (in Chinese). 環球時報. 2004-12-18. Retrieved 2008-07-02.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b 趙靜瑜 (2001-06-14). 警察故事 道出警徽下的功績與孤獨 (in Chinese). The Liberty Times. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
- ^ 司法院大法官會議 (1995-05-26). 大學法細則就共同必修科目之研訂等規定違憲?. 釋字第 380 號 (in Chinese).
- ^ Lin, Jean (2006-02-28). "MOI details new rules on media access to airport". The Taipei Times. p. 2.
- ^ Jou, Ying-cheng (2000-07-24). "Outrage over river tragedy". The Taipei Times. p. 1.
- ^ Kennedy, Mark (2004-10-24). "Getting away with murder". The Taipei Times. p. 17. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ Chuang, Jimmy (2005-07-14). "Dreaded gangster caught after gunfight". The Taipei Times. p. 1. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "警察特考大幅放寬應考資格,提供有志警察工作者新選擇". ROC Ministry of Examination. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-11-04.
- ^ "Hou Yu-ih becomes youngest-ever NPA director-general". The Taipei Times. 2006-02-28. p. 3.
- ^ "Taipei police chief to head NPA". China Post. 2008-05-10. p. 1.
- ^ a b 明遠 (2001-02-16). 職位調動因人而異 拉警報 (in Chinese). New Taiwan News Weekly. Archived from the original on 2007-05-10. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
- ^ "National Police Administration - Taiwan Intelligence and Security Agencies". GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ "Regulations Governing the Inspection and Registration of Alien's Residence or Permanent Residence". National Police Agency, ROC Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on February 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-08. "The inspection and registration affairs as prescribed in these Regulations shall be planned by the National Police Agency (NPA) of the Ministry of the Interior, and executed by city or county (city) police under the supervision of the NPA before the Bureau of Immigration of the Ministry of the Interior is established."
- ^ The Liberty Times. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
- ^ "Table for English and Chinese regarding Special municipality" (xls). Bilingual Living Environment Service System, Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission. Retrieved 2007-01-16. [dead link]
- ^ "Organization". National Police Agency, ROC Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on February 2, 2006. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ "Table for English and Chinese regarding police units of Taipei City Police Department". Taipei City Police Department. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
- ^ "Table for English and Chinese regarding police personnel titles of Taipei City Police Department". Taipei City Police Department. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
External links
- Media related to Law enforcement in Taiwan at Wikimedia Commons