Clash between law enforcers damages their credibility

A MEMBER of the traffic police and an urban management officer in Cixian county, North China's Hebei province, had a quarrel last month that escalated into a physical confrontation between the two departments. Beijing News commented on Saturday:

It is almost unbelievable that the two local law enforcement departments could be dragged into a confrontation involving more than a hundred personnel and forklift trucks. The spark was reportedly a traffic policeman using "bad language" to insult an urban patrol officer.

It is even more absurd that the head of the urban management bureau sought to "besiege" the traffic police station with a team of employees and trucks. Such a naked abuse of power, especially when local residents were watching on the sidelines, must be punished in line with relevant laws.