A new regulation aimed at curbing corruption among police officers in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, has stirred a heated debate over whether their privacy should be respected.

Jiangsu Public Security Department declared on January 2 that all police officers should report to their higher-ups private activities such as marriages or divorces, and purchases of houses and cars.

It is the first regulation issued by a provincial public security department categorically asking police to report details of their private lives, according to analysts.

"The new regulation aims at preventing corruption and building up a people-oriented work environment," said Xiao Shuxiang, spokesman of the police department.

"As police, we need to behave ourselves and set a good example to the public. Otherwise, how can we tell others what is right while we are doing wrong," Xiao said. "Also, our staff will get timely help if they let us know their personal troubles."

But some police officers do not seem to appreciate these good intentions.

"I think my bosses are intruding too much into my private life," said a policeman surnamed Li at the Saihongqiao Branch of Nanjing Public Security Bureau. "If I got divorced, I would not want others to know about it. It is my business and has nothing to do with my work. Why should I be forced to report it?"

"Also I am an adult. I can manage my life well without help from others," Li added.

But Li said that since it is a regulation, he has no choice but to obey it.

According to Liu Zhengcao, a law expert with the Nanjing-based Contemporary Security Law Firm, the regulation, though well meant, violates citizens' privacy rights .

"The privacy of police should also be respected. They may be asked for their marital or property status if they are involved in legal cases as required by legal procedures. But there should be no such requirements in their day-to-day life. This regulation is invalid," said Liu.

According to Xiao, the regulation targets all 70,000 police officers at various levels in the province. But those working within the judicial system will not be included.

Police in the province are recruited from police college graduates, demobilized soldiers and those passing the country's civil-service examinations, according to Xiao.

The new regulation in Jiangsu also requires police to report their activities while they are in foreign countries, even if it is a private trip.

A lot of instances of police being involved in corruption and violence have been reported in the country in recent years.

(China Daily January 5, 2006)