Old excuses no longer hold water

A SHORT VIDEO was posted online showing security personnel in Zaozhuang, Shandong province in East China, badly treating a couple who they caught having sex in a car. The local police department later announced that the four officers responsible were temporary staff. The Beijing Times says this is a tired excuse that people have heard too many times before:

Often when faced with such a public relations crisis, local authorities will try to blame the incident on "temporary staff" or "substitute officers". No wonder the public is asking "why couldn't the excuse be more creative?" or saying "those that receive the least salary, enjoy the fewest rights and shoulder the most responsibilities, are always the scapegoat".

This strategy of blaming temporary staff has speeded up the government's loss of credibility.