The "prostitution case" in Kunming once again shows that measures must be taken immediately to regulate, restrict and supervise the use of power vested in law enforcers. Only then can we prevent such power from being abused to bully ordinary people, says an article on the People's Daily website. Excerpts:

Police brutality, including beating and the use of torture to extract confessions in the "prostitution" incident is a shame on modern society. It would be no exaggeration to say that some Kunming police officers have actually broken the bottom line for being acceptable as human beings.

The abuse of power by some law enforcers would inevitably shake people's belief in the police as a force for the protection of public interests, and cause great damage to the social harmony that the Party and the government have striven to build.

Thus, the case in Kunming is not just a scandal for a section of individuals; nor just a taint on the image of local government. It is much more in that it reflects the collective failure to check abuse of power and exercise control.

The authorities must strictly regulate and educate those working in law enforcement agencies to take the lead in abiding by the law. They must be instructed about citizens' rights and interests, the exercise of their own power and the limits they shall never transgress.

The quality of police officers is an indication how well the law is enforced in a country. Those who are careless and violent in the execution of their duties and, thereby, provoke public protests, deserve severe and exemplary punishment.

(China Daily June 10, 2009)