About 3,000 police chiefs will personally receive petitioners around the country in the next three months, each aiming to address longstanding accusations of official abuse.
It is the first time so many police chiefs have been required to meet with petitioners since new China was founded in 1949, sources with the Public Security Ministry said.
In Jiangsu Province, all county-level police directors were required to receive petitioners from May 18 to 22, and 106 policemen were trained to handle personal visits and letters. In Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, seven leading public security bureau officials on Wednesday met with petitioners - all skipping their daily lunchtime siesta.
"The principle of the campaign is that every petitioner should be received by bureau chiefs and all petitions should be resolved or clearly explained," said Sun Yongbo, spokesperson for the ministry.
Police chiefs are also asked to organize timely investigations and case reviews so that petitions are solved expeditiously.
Anhui Province tested a pilot program on April 23 while preparing for the larger campaign. The provincial public security chief, Cui Yadong, signed contracts with 17 city police heads to ensure the success of resolving petitions.
"I felt ashamed when petitioners granted their sincere thanks to me, because most of their problems could have been solved earlier if our police staff had paid enough attention," he said.
Sun said petitions submitted to public security organs are a "mirror" reflecting the work of public security employees.
A senior Ministry of Public Security official admitted a large number of petitions about police malpractice have not been resolved, causing petitioners to rush to higher level public security organs and even gather in the national capital to air grievances.
"In the past, some policemen were apathetic and indifferent or turned very brutal when handling petitions and even went so far as to refuse petitioners, causing dissatisfaction and a large number of petitions to go unresolved," said the official, who requested anonymity.
The revised state regulation on letters and visits, went into effect on May 1. The central government has also launched a general nationwide campaign to prevent illegal activity among police and judicial staff.
"The new situation demands urgent action to resolve problems among policemen and public security organs," said Sun.
According to the ministry, six types of petitions will precede all others in priority.
They comprise petitions on unjust investigations; extracting confessions through torture; bending the law for the benefit of friends and relatives; abuse of power; severely infringing on people's interests; and illegal fines.
The ministry has formed a supervisory group to oversee the program.
The performance of policemen in handling letters and visits from petitioners will be written into their work assessment records and help determine future opportunities for promotions.
Sun said: "We hope that all petitioners who have suffered from the malpractice of policemen or police organs can take this opportunity to register their complaints in their hometown police bureaus. It can go a long way to creating a harmonious society."