Abstract: This article discusses the necessity of building a prevention and control system for maintaining security from the perspectives of institutional transformation, implementation of comprehensive governance, emphasis on prevention and control functions, development of community policing, and introduction of specialized prevention and control measures. It points out the basic characteristics of the prevention and control system and explores the goals of its construction, namely, transforming from static prevention and control to dynamic prevention and control, from phased prevention and control to standardized prevention and control, from extensive prevention and control to intensive prevention and control, from closed prevention and control to open prevention and control, and from passive prevention and control to proactive prevention and control.
Keywords: Public security; prevention and control system; public safety; comprehensive governance; market-oriented prevention and control. my country is currently in a period of strategic opportunity for comprehensive development. Maintaining public safety is not only an important social need but also a significant responsibility. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee proposed the goal of building a harmonious society, and promoting social harmony requires public safety as a necessary prerequisite. Therefore, in-depth research into the theory and practice of building a public security prevention and control system has extremely important practical significance.
I. Building a social security prevention and control system is an inevitable choice for public safety in the new century. Here, public safety is limited to the narrow definition of maintaining social order and stability; it refers to the strict prevention and control of crime and the effective response to and resolution of various social security problems. To achieve this goal, building and improving a social security prevention and control system that combines public participation, socialization and marketization, and integrates various social prevention and control resources is a fundamental solution and an inevitable choice.
(I) The Transformation of the Economic System and Social Structure Promoted the Transformation of the Public Security System. From the founding of the People's Republic of China to the period before the Cultural Revolution, the Party and the government followed the experience of the revolutionary war years, establishing a highly centralized, closed, and unified public security system that was highly coupled with administrative and politicization. Its characteristics included adaptability to the planned economy and hierarchical social structure, relying mainly on policies and administrative means to ensure its operation, while downplaying the role of administrative organs. During this period, the public security system was a purely state administrative system, with the government incorporating all public security affairs into administrative management. The work of ensuring public security mainly relied on public security and law enforcement agencies and security departments at all levels. Because this system was able to adapt to the economic system and social structure at the time, it was able to fulfill its functions and achieve efficiency, basically realizing a stable situation where society transitioned from chaos to order and people lived and worked in peace.
With the reform and opening up, social life has transformed from a closed or semi-closed state to an open one, both internally and externally, severely impacting the traditional public security system. In the process of transitioning between the old and new systems, blind spots and loopholes in public security prevention and control inevitably arise, providing opportunities and conditions for crime. The persistently high crime rate is a concentrated reflection of the lack or reduction in prevention and control functions. Clearly, the traditional public security system is no longer sustainable because the highly unified and closed economic system and social structure upon which it relied have changed. Under the planned economy, ownership structures were homogeneous and singular, and all were subject to state administrative management; the behavior of stakeholders was relatively simple, and workers were firmly bound to economic organizations. Since the development of the market economy, urban and rural economic entities and market stakeholders have become diversified, and workers can move freely in the market, resulting in a serious deficiency in the previously hierarchical public security prevention and control functions. On the other hand, as the public's economic life becomes more diversified, their demands for public security also become more diversified and personalized, inevitably requiring diversified and personalized services. In short, the transformation of the economic system and social structure calls for innovation in the public security system and promotes the construction of a public security prevention and control system.
(II) The Comprehensive Social Security Management Policy as a Form of Institutional Innovation in Public Security In the early 1980s, my country experienced a rapid increase in serious criminal offenses. Faced with this rampant crime, public security organs emphasized using "crackdowns" to curb the surge in crime. However, practice proved that "crackdowns" were a special means of maintaining public security during a special period, and their marginal deterrent effect diminished curvilinearly, thus only addressing the symptoms, not the root cause. Furthermore, the concentrated strikes and unified actions adopted during "crackdowns" constituted a passive policing model. Through in-depth research and practical experience on current crime problems, the national political and legal decision-making body clearly recognized that the causes of crime are long-term, complex, and comprehensive, necessitating comprehensive governance of crime. Therefore, public security began to seek institutional innovation, gradually giving rise to the idea of comprehensive social security management, which developed into the general policy for public security work, providing a groundbreaking innovative approach for the transformation of the public security system.
Comprehensive social security management is characterized by its broad scope and openness, with its difficulty lying in implementation. The key to implementation lies in establishing a security prevention and control system and ensuring its effective operation, forming a virtuous cycle working mechanism. This, in turn, "activates" the systems and plans of comprehensive management, promoting its implementation. It is evident that the security prevention and control system arises and serves the purpose of implementing the comprehensive management policy. The system's construction is based on summarizing past experience in security work, applying modern management science to design the security prevention and control network and policing model, possessing distinct characteristics and operability.
(III) Maintaining public safety requires emphasizing the prevention and control function of the comprehensive social security governance system. One of the principles of comprehensive social security governance is "combining prevention and crackdown, addressing both symptoms and root causes, with an emphasis on addressing root causes." This principle requires organically combining and coordinating crackdown and prevention; it is necessary not only to severely punish serious criminal offenders, but also to focus on reducing the soil and conditions that breed crime, fundamentally controlling and reducing social factors that contribute to crime. Emphasizing "addressing root causes" means focusing on addressing crime from its "causes" and "sources," therefore, the system's prevention and control function should be emphasized, especially pre-emptive prevention. Western scholars have long reached a consensus on the importance of prevention and control, pioneered by John Newman's book *Defense Space*, which has had a significant impact on the practice of security prevention and control through continuous development. This theory argues that it is impossible to determine who among the vast population has criminal intent, and even if one knows who has criminal motives, one cannot restrict their actions before they are carried out. Therefore, crime should be restricted by defining its goals and conditions, creating obstacles, and making it "unprofitable" to commit crimes. This would prevent offenders from committing crimes, or even if they succeed temporarily, they would find it difficult to gain illegal benefits or escape legal punishment, thus increasing the likelihood of crime. Those already harboring malicious intentions might be forced to abandon their criminal attempts due to the excessive difficulty and risk, and the high cost of opportunity and risk, thereby significantly reducing the occurrence of crime.
Therefore, public security and crime prevention entities, especially public security organs, must correctly handle the relationship between "combating" and "preventing," and reverse the tendency to neglect prevention. This is a tendency that easily arises in police practice: prevention is said to be very important, but because its achievements are not outstanding and are difficult to quantify, it is often regarded as a "soft task" and therefore not truly given sufficient attention. Therefore, it is essential to emphasize placing public security and crime prevention in a high priority position, formulating work standards, incorporating it into performance evaluations, and ensuring tangible results. Building a comprehensive public security and crime prevention system, which makes the concept of focusing on public security and crime prevention practical and effective, is particularly important and urgent.
(IV) Developing Community Policing as a Supporting Point for Innovation in the Public Security System The socialist market economy has changed my country's social structure. A significant proportion of the public has transitioned from being affiliated with their work units to being affiliated with their communities. They have transformed from "work unit people" to "social people." Various "social people" are active in communities, which have become living communities where the public gathers. Management measures previously implemented through enterprises and institutions must be transferred to the community level. Therefore, developing community policing has become a supporting point for innovation in the public security system and a foundation for the public security prevention and control system.
Community policing refers to the establishment of a sound cooperative relationship and interactive mechanism between the police and the community, jointly developing community security resources, strengthening self-governance and mutual assistance, and forming a proactive policing model. Developing community policing is a practice of public security work that keeps pace with the times and aligns with international standards. It should be recognized that community policing in Europe and America arose after the third policing revolution, characterized by "rapid response and rigid enforcement," and thus possesses its own material foundation and training level. Furthermore, communities in Europe and America exhibit a strong atmosphere of self-governance, with the public actively responding and participating in public safety governance. Although my country still lags behind in these two aspects, we can fully leverage the political advantages of the socialist system, carry forward the fine tradition of the public security mass line, and implement a community policing strategy with Chinese characteristics.
Developing community policing requires a shift in mindset, transforming public administration into public safety governance with public participation. The construction of socialist political civilization calls for a new model of public governance, including crime prevention and control. "Public governance," compared to traditional methods, represents an elevation in concept and an expansion of public participation and reach. The community and its organizations not only have an urgent need for public safety but also possess immense potential and enthusiasm for maintaining security. Community policing should integrate and unleash this potential and enthusiasm, with the police and the public jointly building a crime prevention and control network.
(V) Introducing a Market-Oriented Prevention and Control Mechanism to Achieve Organic Integration of Public Safety Governance and Services Building a public security prevention and control system under market conditions requires introducing market-oriented operation and competition mechanisms to achieve an organic integration of public safety governance and services. Because prevention and control work often fails if it relies on past methods of government monopoly and command. It must follow a path of market-oriented operation, enterprise-based, market-service-oriented, and industrialized development; only public security prevention and control that follows market rules has vitality. The invisible hand of market economic laws profoundly guides and determines the direction and intensity of people's behavior; this is no exception in public safety governance. Building a public security prevention and control system is a long-term task, and the important role of social forces must be emphasized. Market rules should be used to regulate the supply and demand and resource allocation of public security prevention and control, giving it a stable impetus for broad public participation and making it an inexhaustible source of power for self-optimal regulation and allocation. Establishing a prevention and control network based on the market, with industry as the carrier and security services as the core can at least be expected to play the following roles:
(1) It is conducive to meeting the diverse needs of the public for public safety. By regulating the supply and demand of security and prevention through market mechanisms and implementing the principles of "taking from the people and using for the people" and "whoever pays, benefits", the public's desire to "buy peace with money" can be met, achieving a "win-win" outcome.
(2) It helps alleviate the pressure of limited national investment in epidemic prevention and control, especially the shortage of police force. Taking the path of market-based regulation can integrate and guide private epidemic prevention and control resources. Its functions can be broadened according to the needs of epidemic prevention and control. It can become a supplement to community policing, reflecting the concept of "limited police force, unlimited public power". It can save the country a lot of human and material resources, and promote the shift of public administration functions from direct management to indirect management.
(3) It is conducive to improving the utilization rate of idle private capital and manpower. The adjustment of the economic structure will inevitably lead to an increase in the number of idle personnel, which increases the factors of social instability. By regulating and guiding the market, these idle capital and manpower can be absorbed into prevention and control enterprises, which can not only increase the prevention and control force, but also optimize the social structure and promote the transformation of the system.
II. Overview of the Social Security Prevention and Control System With the establishment of the Scientific Outlook on Development and the goal of building a harmonious society, how to promote the construction of a social security prevention and control system and safeguard public safety in the new century has become a major issue facing public security organs and even comprehensive governance work.
(I) The connotation of the social security prevention and control system The connotation of the social security prevention and control system can be defined as follows: Under the unified leadership of the Party Committee and the government, the public security organs use social control theory and systems engineering methods to rationally allocate police force and integrate social prevention and control resources. Based on community policing, with patrol and prevention as the main duty, criminal investigation and prevention as the key link, relying on mass prevention and control, and supported by technical prevention and control, a unified command, information sharing, flexible response, and coordinated and orderly "integrated prevention, control and management" work system and operation mechanism is formed.
The establishment of a public security prevention and control system is proposed based on long-term practical experience in public security work. Since "crackdowns" are not a fundamental solution for dynamic public security, and static prevention and control models are no longer suitable, building a public security prevention and control system should be an inevitable choice for maintaining public safety in the new century and a fundamental innovation in implementing the comprehensive social security governance policy. In view of this, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening Comprehensive Social Security Governance" in September 2001, reiterating the policy of "combining crackdown and prevention, with prevention as the main focus," and clearly outlining the task of establishing and improving the public security prevention and control system. In November 2003, the CPC Central Committee made the "Decision on Further Strengthening and Improving Public Security Work," pointing out the need to vigorously strengthen public security prevention and management, actively mobilize and organize the masses to participate in social security work, promote the construction of a social security prevention and control system, and enhance social security prevention and control capabilities. It should be said that building a social security prevention and control system is a new deployment made by the Party Central Committee based on long-term experience in public security prevention and control, and in response to the severe and complex public security situation, for public security work and even comprehensive social security governance.
(II) Basic characteristics of the social security prevention and control system The social security prevention and control system is a rejection of the previous security management model. Only by grasping its basic characteristics can we improve the initiative and consciousness in building this system.
1. Long-term nature. Since the reform and opening up, my country's previously vertically integrated administrative hierarchy has been gradually squeezed out by horizontally developing social subsystems, leading to a trend of value pluralism in society. This inevitably breaks the old balance under the planned economy system, undergoes a period of significant adjustment and relative disorder, and then reaches a new balance under the market economy system. The continuity of economic system and social structural transformation over time determines that the relatively severe public security situation will persist for a long time. Establishing and improving the public security prevention and control system is by no means an "expedient measure," but a long-term task. On the other hand, building a public security prevention and control system will not be accomplished overnight, but should be adjusted and enriched according to the changes in social life, the patterns of crime, and the shifts in public security hotspots, so as to make the public security prevention and control system more perfect and efficient.
2. Holistic Approach. The public security prevention and control system is a unified whole composed of diverse prevention and control channels, subjects, and objectives. "In this system, the prevention and control subjects are not simply a mechanical superposition of various forces, but rather an organic combination of different police departments, public security organs and community-based prevention and control forces, and the general public, according to certain relationships and rules. This forms an interconnected and mutually constraining organic whole, representing the integration and reorganization of police resources within the public security organs and social security resources." The goal of the public security prevention and control system is to combine prevention and control resources into an intensive, coordinated, flexible, and efficient system, emphasizing the systemic advantage that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," thereby improving overall prevention and control capabilities. Achieving this goal depends on correctly defining levels and continuously optimizing the system to achieve a balance and unity of responsibilities and rights, thus reflecting overall effectiveness.
3. Synergy. The public security prevention and control system fully leverages the synergistic advantages of "integrated prevention, control, and management" to optimize the prevention and control structure and efficiency. The complexity of public security prevention and control dictates the diversity of prevention and control entities and their functions. Each police unit and social prevention and control resource should maintain relative independence and autonomy; otherwise, initiative and creativity will be lost. However, this does not mean operating independently or having multiple departments issuing conflicting directives; otherwise, the synergistic advantage will be lost. The most direct manifestation of synergy is a rapid and efficient information and command and dispatch mechanism. This requires the prevention and control system to implement the concept of information-driven prevention and control, emphasize the construction of a technology-based prevention and control network, widely collect and analyze public security information, establish a detection system and emergency plans, and promptly adjust decisions and deployments to form a rapid response mechanism characterized by coordinated cooperation, sensitive information, effective command, and appropriate handling.
4. Openness. The public security prevention and control system emphasizes openness because it inherently possesses a strong social nature and should maximize the support and cooperation of social prevention and control resources. Since the reform and opening up, due to the impact of the market economy and the pressure brought by the increasing severity of crime, the public security's mass line has been somewhat weakened, leading to weak basic work, an emphasis on cracking down rather than prevention and construction, and a disconnect between crackdown, prevention, and control. Constructing a public security prevention and control system and emphasizing its openness provides an effective vehicle for leveraging the traditional advantages of the public security's mass line and strengthening grassroots work. It is an opportunity to tap into social prevention and control resources and promote the sustainable development of public safety.
5. Standardization. Establishing standards for guidance and constraint is essential for the stability of the system and the formation of a long-term mechanism for public security prevention and control. Once established, all standards within the system must maintain their authority and seriousness, and cannot be changed arbitrarily or frequently. The external form of standardization is a complete set of rigorous and interconnected rules and regulations. Of course, the standardization of a system is relative; when the security situation changes and the original structure and standards of the system are no longer suitable for the development of the situation, the system should be adjusted as needed. However, whether it is continued improvement or self-updating, it must be a change in the system's authority, an enhancement of standardization, not a reduction in standardization.
III. Objectives of Building a Social Security Prevention and Control System The construction of a social security prevention and control system is crucial to national stability and public safety. The system should be built with an eye toward its objectives, achieving the following five transformations:
(I) From Static to Dynamic Prevention and Control Before the reform and opening up, my country achieved strict control over a static society through highly centralized and organized management, leaving no social or personal space for crime. With the development of the market economy and the widespread flow of people, capital, and goods, not only has the number of crimes surged, but the methods and means of committing crimes have also constantly evolved. The increase in itinerant crimes makes the previous static prevention and control model clearly inadequate. Building a public security prevention and control system requires a shift from static to dynamic prevention and control, and from simple personnel control to comprehensive, holistic control. In terms of the main bodies of prevention and control, all police departments must reform their existing systems, overcome bureaucratic tendencies, and deploy police forces to the grassroots level, focusing on practical application; simultaneously, the construction of social prevention and control forces should be market-oriented and enterprise-based. In terms of the prevention and control model, joint police operations, joint security management, and information sharing should be implemented to form a dynamic prevention and control synergy, jointly responding dynamically to crime.
(II) From Phased Prevention and Control to Standardized Prevention and Control Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the state has stimulated vitality through numerous mass movements, and the public security organs' work on public security prevention and control has also revolved around these movements. Since the reform and opening up, traditional prevention and control capabilities have been severely impacted. To curb the expansion of illegal and criminal activities, public security organs have repeatedly launched "crackdowns" and special rectification campaigns, creating a dependence on these movements. This phased prevention and control model has obvious drawbacks, consuming a large amount of manpower and resources without fundamentally improving public security. Furthermore, the artificially designed law enforcement style inevitably results in a "passing fad," with public security prevention and control being sometimes tight and sometimes loose, sometimes urgent and sometimes slow, creating a mere "showcase." Criminals have also learned to "listen to the winds and watch the situation," leading to fluctuating crime rates and a vicious cycle of "unable to fight effectively and unable to prevent effectively." This prevention and control model definitely needs to be changed, hence the proposal of "integrated prevention, control, and management," exploring standardized overall prevention and control. Once the prevention and control functions and standards are defined, regulations and responsibilities will be refined, and accountability for dereliction of duty will be pursued to ensure that the prevention and control system operates in a standardized and routine manner.
(III) Shifting from Extensive to Intensive Security Control Traditional security control often involves concentrated police force deployment and organized special campaigns. This "high-profile" campaign-style, purely strike-oriented approach prioritizes momentum over effectiveness and efficiency, constituting an extensive control method. Police resources and social security resources are limited, especially the "police force" comprised of officers' physical strength, equipment, and technology—it is not inexhaustible. Therefore, security control, including crackdowns, must be effective and consider the return on investment. Building a security control system is a practical application of the scientific development concept, aiming to scientifically integrate and utilize control resources, avoiding manpower shortages due to redundant deployments and misuse of police force, and avoiding inefficiency caused by multiple command structures and buck-passing. The goal is to achieve optimal allocation of control resources to fully develop and utilize them, thus pursuing an intensive control approach. This necessitates increased investment in technological prevention and control, expanding monitoring through technological defense networks, guiding rational policing, and ensuring that incident-driven policing is the best approach. This will ensure that limited police resources are used effectively.
(IV) Shifting from Closed-Loop to Open-Loop Security Management: The long-standing planned economy restricted movement within a limited area, with people rarely crossing regional boundaries. Everything was under control, resulting in a closed-loop security management system. In the context of economic development, public security organs must change their previous closed management approach to personnel and social organizations, implementing open-loop security management to ensure the safe and orderly flow of people, goods, and capital. Regarding the purpose of security management, it must serve the development of the market economy; it must not restrict the market or hinder circulation in the name of maintaining public order, as this would diminish the social value of security management. In terms of the main actors in security management, in addition to leveraging the functions of public security organs, the entire society should be mobilized to actively participate in security efforts. In particular, following the diversified security needs and value laws under market economy conditions, and adhering to the principles of "marketization, specialization, and corporatization," professional auxiliary police and private security personnel should be developed, providing paid services to obtain wages and welfare benefits, accumulating strength and creating a brand, and steadily achieving the industrial-scale benefits of security management. In terms of methods, the use of various information resources and security forces should be encouraged, maximizing the effectiveness of security management through joint operations and prevention.
(V) Shifting from Passive to Proactive Prevention and Control. For many years, public security organs have implemented a bureaucratic work system of "sitting in court" and waiting for cases, resulting in a relatively passive approach to public security prevention and control. Through reflection on long-term experience in public security work, a holistic proactive prevention and control approach has been formed, namely, reversing the situation where public security prevention and control is led by problems through comprehensive and multi-faceted proactive prevention and control measures. Community policing relies on social prevention and control forces. It delves into clues, conducts "undercover operations," and guides proactive strikes; it mediates conflicts, quells grievances, eliminates the seeds of crime, and becomes a network of proactive prevention and control. Patrol duty, as a form of prevention and control that combines offense and defense, deploys police on the streets, responds quickly, and provides on-site deterrence, suppressing illegal activities and becoming a visible form of proactive prevention and control. With the "110" emergency call system as the leading force and criminal police and special police as the "sharp blades," intelligence gathering and transmission are strengthened, emergency command plans are improved, and a special prevention and control system is formed that responds swiftly to alarms and acts decisively. All police departments collaborate to comprehensively improve the initiative in managing public security prevention and control.
