Police cleared of suspicion

Police authorities in Shenzhen have been doing everything possible to convince a skeptical public that they have conducted a proper investigation into the fatal traffic accident on May 26 that claimed three lives.

A murky cellphone video clip sparked speculation that the driver of a speeding sports car that rear-ended an electric taxi that subsequently burst into flames, killing the taxi driver and two passengers, hired someone to take his place.

But the police authorities have held four press conferences, where they have shown video clips from surveillance cameras, the driver's naked upper-body photos, DNA test results, and, of course, witness accounts, to confirm that the driver being held in custody was the person driving the sports car that caused the tragedy.

No doubt this has been an exhausting task for the police officers involved. But it is worth it. They have made a wise choice by responding to every one of the questions put forward by a doubting public.

Given previous cases where those responsible for fatal crashes have managed to avoid the consequences of their actions, the public's suspicions were justified. And the authorities were obliged to prove their integrity.

If all cases had to be handled in such a manner, the costs of law enforcement would become unbearable. But clearly it is important to restore public confidence in the police, as this tragedy has once again shown it is seriously lacking.

In a sense, the police authorities are paying for the lies and misconduct of dishonest officials.

The prevailing distrust of public officials has not come out of nowhere. After all, there have been so many caught lying or cheating in the past. It is their own misconduct that has resulted in the public's disbelief.

Even if officials are not discovered to be guilty of crimes, many people believe that they are willing to withhold information, suppress public discourse, or distract public attention from those responsible for wrong doings. Such tactics have only served to consolidate the perception that there are ugly skeletons in their closets.

The local authorities' efforts to address people's suspicions in this instance set a fine example for their counterparts in the rest of the country.

We are not sure how the authorities would have responded had this happened somewhere else in the country. But we do believe what has been done in Shenzhen is the appropriate approach to restore public confidence in the forces of law and order.

(China Daily 06/04/2012 page8)