In an effort to ban abuse of prisoners, China's justice authority is warning police and prison guards that they can be fired for torturing inmates or taking bribes.

New regulations governing police conduct issued by the Ministry of Justice, focus on inmate torture, irregular use of weapons and police vans, accepting bribes from inmates or their families, on-duty drinking, and gambling.

Fan Fangping, Vice Justice Minister, said the regulations are aimed at improving law enforcement and raising the standards of Chinese police and prison guards.

Fan said that while the overall performance of police and guards is good, there are some cops who "feel superior to inmates and act rudely".

He said the regulations have been distributed to all of the country's prisons and hopes they will be observed by all law enforcement personnel.

"Anyone who violates the ban on abuse will be disciplined," Fan said, adding that sever violations will lead to firing and warns that superiors who cover up abuses will also face discipline.

China has two laws to regulate police behavior -- the Prison Law, enacted in 1994, and the Law on People's Police, enacted in 1995. They prohibit abuse of inmates and extorting a confession through torture.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2006)