After years of continuous petitions, Yang Huiqing, a woman from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, finally saw the suspected murderer of her son 16 years ago arrested last week.

The development was all thanks to a nationwide campaign launched on May 18, which requires local police chiefs to meet face-to-face those with complaints against the police.

Yang's case drew police attention after she petitioned Wen Qiang, executive director of the city's public security bureau on July 23, Chongqing Morning News reported.

By Tuesday this week, public security organs across the nation had received 185,000 complaints, and had solved 163,000 of them, according to Ministry of Public Security spokesman Wu Heping. Moreover, 16,000 criminal cases were discovered through the petitions, and 21,000 suspects arrested.

The complaints lodged centered on long-pending cases, redress of previous wrongs, and rude behavior by police.

According to China's law, citizens have the right to raise their complaints or suggestions to relevant governmental organizations, including the police.

On May 1, a revised regulation on letters and visits came into effect. Based on the revision, the Ministry of Public Security yesterday promulgated its own rules on the handling of people's letters and visits by police, which became effective the same day.

"Citizens who are dissatisfied with police work or suffer wrongdoings by the public security departments now have a better way out to air their grievance," said Huang Zhanmei, a ministry official.

Written responses, instead of oral answers, are required during the police handling of the complaints, according to the new regulation.

Local police departments are required to select a special day for police heads to receive petitioners, it said. The rules also forbid individual police or organs from taking revenge against petitioners. A responsibility system is being set up to prevent malpractice.

Wu said the nationwide campaign has entered its third phase, during which major officials from provincial police departments are asked to handle cases and complaints left over from previous phases.

During the second stage from July 18 to August 18, police heads at city levels received petitioners in person, to handle cases unsettled at county levels in the first phase, said the spokesman.

(China Daily August 19, 2005)