There are less than 200 police officers assigned to the precinct. Interestingly, these groups are strikingly similar to neighborhood cadres which monitor adherence to political mandates. The precinct commander stated that theft and stealing were the principal crime, with robbery a distant second. He expressed concern that fighting or public disturbance cases have doubled in the last four years. There are some very critical reasons for China's low crime rate.
Criminal misconduct brings disrespect to the entire family and violates a family's reputation.
Thus, for many, family values and cultural cues dictate social behavior. Second, punishment for crime is harsh. Aside from the previously mentioned cultural inhibition to crime, law enforcement exercises extensive preventive control. Each officer in the Beijing precinct was responsible for an identified 240 families. Citizens were to report any crime or unusual behavior to that specific officer.