China increases surveillance to screen ‘losers’ to avoid public violence | World News
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China’s renewed focus on screening follows several high-profile random public attacks.(Photo: Reuters)
In response to a series of violent incidents involving mass stabbings and cars driven into pedestrians, Chinese authorities are intensifying efforts to identify individuals at risk of harming the public.
Traditionally, local-level officials have monitored people facing financial or emotional difficulties, but recent shifts in focus target those “likely to vent their anger on the public,” according to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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Targeting individuals with “multiple failures”
Although specific official definitions are scarce, the term “five or six kinds of failures” is often used to describe at-risk individuals, the report said. These individuals typically face psychological issues, mental health struggles, relationship breakdowns, failed investments, economic hardship, or insufficient supervision during adolescence, it added.
Citing an official, SCMP reported that prior to a recent survey drive, police briefed local authorities about the growing threat of random public attacks. Chen said law enforcement emphasised the importance of identifying and monitoring those deemed “losers” to prevent potential acts of violence.
Local authorities already monitor former convicts and drug users, working closely with police to provide “early prediction and warnings.”
Screening as a response to recent violent incidents in China
The renewed focus on screening follows several high-profile public attacks. On September 30 in Shanghai, a man wielding a knife killed three people and injured 15 others in a supermarket. Authorities arrested the suspect, a 37-year-old man, who reportedly came to Shanghai to “release anger” over an unresolved personal financial dispute.
In other recent incidents, a man was arrested in Guangzhou after stabbing three people outside a school. However, local police have provided limited information about the attack or the perpetrator’s motives.
Monitoring potential threats in Tianjin province
Officials in other regions have also taken action. In Tianjin, a similar screening campaign has been in place since September. Before the National Day holiday on October 1, a database of potentially dangerous individuals was prepared, and officials were instructed to provide updates after each visit to households where residents required “extra attention.”
The focus of the screenings had shifted from offering timely help to checking residents’ mental stability. Officials were warned that if a random attack occurred, they would be questioned on why they had not identified the threat sooner, the report said.
Grassroots control networks prove effective but risk overreach
Several cities have publicised their efforts to identify potential threats. For instance, Guisi, a subdistrict of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, reported in July that visits to 3,000 households and 120 businesses had identified 16 individuals who had experienced major life failures. The visits also allowed authorities to verify the identities of over 10,000 residents.
Similarly, Binfeng subdistrict in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, issued a statement last month, asserting their determination to “firmly control individuals with the five kinds of failures” to prevent “extreme cases” from occurring.
China’s grassroots control networks have been highly effective in curbing such attacks, the report noted. While the system has “proven its effectiveness,” particularly during the pandemic, it also risks becoming too overzealous and placing too many people under surveillance, it added.
First Published: Oct 14 2024 | 5:03 PM IST
