A lesson for police

Some reports on declining public morals notwithstanding, China remains one of the safest places in the world. Of course that has a lot to do with Chinese essentially being nice people.

But public security and safety owes as much to the administration. The dozens of individuals and institutions that were honored earlier this week in Beijing for efforts to maintain public security are but a small fraction of those worthy of our gratitude. From Beijing to the provinces and regions, countless people are on round-the-clock duty to ensure public security.

They mediate in disputes, patrol the streets, prevent crimes and, if one is committed, collect clues for officers investigating it, and thus ensure we do not live in fear.