Implementing the Mass Line in Criminal Investigation in China

The mass line is the fundamental principle for guiding the Communist Party of China in all practical work. Police work, one of the Party's most important core tasks, is therefore required to adhere to the mass line as well. Under the guidance of the mass line, Chinese police value greatly the role of the broad masses and their participation both in social order maintenance and in criminal investigations. However, in criminal investigations, implementing the mass line has often been narrowly conceived as mobilising the masses to facilate police investigations by providing information and clues. This study, by reconsidering key original texts, finds that the mass line is, in essence, a set of methods for objectively concentrating ideas and efforts to effectively solve practical problems. The study also explores the practical possibilities of applying the findings into contemporary criminal investigations.