China to regulate private detective services
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-05-09 11:25

The Ministry of Public Security is now launching a survey in China's major cities on the development of private investigation services, paving the way for the legalization and regulation of the newly-emerged industry.

Peng Yong, deputy general manager of the Chongqing-based Bangde Commercial Investigation Co. Ltd., said the survey his company accepted included items like its services scope, way of charging fees, investigation means and investigation tools the company used.

Liu Xiaolin, head of a Sichuan-based information services company said the private detective industry had not gained legalization in China so far. The survey launched by the Ministry of Public Security in the country's major ten cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, was widely regarded as a prelude to legalizing the industry.

"Private investigation services will become an effective complement for judicial investigation, if it is well regulated and gains an equal legal footing with the judicial one," said Liu.

Niu Jianguo, a lawyer with the Sichuan-based Chuanda Law Firm, noted that the crucial point for private investigation companies to get on an equal footing with judicial investigation departments is to ensure the investigation means they used are justifiable and not violating other people's privacy.

Bai Yalin, an officer with the Sichuan Provincial Public Security Department, said it was necessary to legalize the private investigation industry because of the increasingly huge market needs. However, the scope of private detective's right of investigation as well as the investigation means they could use must be strictly defined.