Law of the People’s Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security
Order of the President of the People’s Republic of China
No. 38
The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Penalties for Administration of Public Security, adopted at the 17th Meeting of the
Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China on August 28, 2005, is hereby promulgated
and shall go into effect as of March 1, 2006.
Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
August 28, 2005
(Adopted at the 17th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People’s Congress on August 28, 2005)
Contents
Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Types of Penalties and Their Application
Chapter III Acts Against the Administration of Public Security and Penalties
Section 1 Acts Disturbing Public Order and Penalties
Section 2 Acts Impairing Public Security and Penalties
Section 3 Acts Infringing upon Rights of the Person and of Property and Penalties
Section 4 Acts Impeding Social Administration and Penalties
Chapter IV Procedure of Penalties
Section 1 Investigation
Section 2 Decision
Section 3 Execution
Chapter V Law Enforcement Supervision
Chapter VI Supplementary Provisions
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 This Law is formulated in order to maintain the order of public security, safeguard public safety, protect the lawful
rights and interests of citizens, legal persons and other organizations, and regularize and guarantee performance of the duties for
administration of public security by public security organs and people’s police according to law.
Article 2 A person who disturbs public order, endangers public safety, infringes on the rights of person and property or hampers
social administration, which is harmful to the society and which, according to the provisions of the Criminal Law of the People’s
Republic of China, constitutes a crime, shall be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law; and if such an act is
not serious enough for criminal punishment, the public security organ shall impose on him a penalty for administration of public
security according to this Law.
Article 3 The provisions of this Law are applicable to the procedure of penalties for administration of public security; and to
cases for which no such provisions are stipulated in this Law, the relevant provisions of the Law of the People’s Republic of China
on Administrative Penalty shall be applicable.
Article 4 This Law shall be applicable to acts committed against the administration of public security within the territory of
the People’s Republic of China, except where specially provided for by other laws.
This Law shall be applicable to acts against the administration of public security committed aboard ships or aircrafts of the People’s
Republic of China, except where specially provided for by other laws.
Article 5 A penalty for administration of public security shall be based on facts and fit the nature and circumstances of the act
committed against the administration of public security and the extent of harm done to the society.
Penalties for administration of public security shall be imposed openly and impartially, human rights shall be respected and safeguarded,
and the dignity of citizens shall be protected.
The principle of combining education with penalty shall be upheld in dealing with cases of public security.
Article 6 People’s governments at various levels shall make comprehensive improvement of public security and take effective measures
to dissolve social contradictions, enhance social harmony and maintain social stability.
Article 7 The department of public security under the State Council shall be responsible for administration of public security
throughout the country. The public security organs of the local people’s governments at or above the county level shall be responsible
for administration of public security within their respective administrative areas.
Jurisdiction over the cases of public security shall be determined by the department of public security under the State Council.
Article 8 Where an act against the administration of public security causes harm to another person, the person committing such
act or his guardian shall bear civil liability according to law.
Article 9 In respect of acts against the administration of public security, such as brawling and damaging or destroying another
person’s property, which are caused by civil disputes, if the circumstances are relatively minor, the public security organ may
dispose of them through mediation. Where the parties concerned reach an agreement through mediation by the public security organ,
no penalties shall be imposed. Where no agreement is reached through mediation or the agreement, although reached, is not executed,
the public security organ shall, in accordance with the provisions of this Law, impose penalties upon the persons committing the
acts against the administration of public security and notify the parties concerned that they may, according to law, bring a civil
action before a people’s court in respect of the civil disputes.
Chapter II Types of Penalties and Their Application
Article 10 Penalties for acts against the administration of public security are divided into the following types:
(1) warning;
(2) fine;
(3) administrative detention; and
(4) revocation of licenses issued by public security organs.
To a foreigner who acts against the administration of public security, leaving the country within a time limit or deportation attached
to a penalty may be applicable.
Article 11 Contraband seized in dealing with cases of public security such as drugs and pornographic objects, gambling devices,
money for gambling, devices used for ingesting or injecting drugs, and the instruments owned and directly used by the persons in
their acts against the administration of public security shall be taken over, and shall be disposed of according to relevant regulations.
The money and things of value obtained through acts against the administration of public security shall be recovered and returned
to the victim; and where there is no victim involved, they shall be registered and sold by auction or disposed of according to the
relevant regulations of the State, and all the proceeds therefrom shall be handed over to the State Treasury.
Article 12 If a person who has attained to the age of 14 but not to the age of 18 commits an act against the administration of
public security, he shall be given a relatively light or mitigated penalty; and if a person who has not attained to the age of 14
commits such an act, he shall not be penalized, but his guardian shall be instructed to subject him to strict discipline.
Article 13 Where a mentally disordered person commits an act against the administration of public security at the time when he
is unable to recognize or control his own conduct, he shall not be penalized, but his guardian shall be instructed to keep a strict
guard on him and to subject him to medical treatment. Where an intermittently insane person commits an act against the administration
of public security while in normal mental condition, he shall be penalized.
Article 14 Where a blind or deaf-mute person commits an act against the administration of public security, he may be give a relatively
light or mitigated penalty, or shall not be penalized.
Article 15 Where an intoxicated person commits an act against the administration of public security, he shall be penalized.
Where an intoxicated person in a drunken state may cause danger to himself or threatens another person’s personal safety or property
or public safety, protective measures shall be taken to restrain him until he sobers up.
Article 16 Where a person commits two or more acts against the administration of public security, decisions shall be made separately
but executed concurrently. Where penalties of administrative detention are concurrently executed, the maximum term of such detention
shall not exceed 20 days.
Article 17 Where an act is committed jointly against the administration of public security, the persons committing such act shall
be penalized separately, depending on the role played by each of them in the act.
Where a person instigates or coerces another person to act against the administration of public security, or lures the person into
such act, he shall be penalized according to the seriousness of the act committed as a result of his instigation, coercion or luring.
Article 18 Where a unit commits an act against the administration of public security, the persons directly in charge and the other
persons directly responsible shall be penalized in accordance with the provisions of this Law. Where other laws or administrative
regulations provide that penalty shall be imposed on a unit for the same act, the unit shall be penalized in accordance with the
provisions there.
Article 19 The penalty to be imposed on a person who commits an act against the administration of public security shall be mitigated,
or no penalty shall be imposed on him, under one of the following circumstances:
(1) The adverse effects are extremely minor;
(2) The person takes the initiative to remove or lessen the adverse effects, and gains the victim’s forgiveness;
(3) The act is committed under the coercion or luring by another person;
(4) The person surrenders himself to the police and truthfully states his illegal act to the public security organ; or
(5) The person has performed meritorious service.
Article 20 Under one of the following circumstances, a heavier penalty shall be imposed on a person who commits an act against
the administration of public security:
(1) The adverse effects relatively serious;
(2) The person instigates or coerces another person to commit an act against the administration of public security, or lures the
person into such act;
(3) The person retaliates against the reporter, accuser, informant or witness; or
(4) The person has been subjected to penalty for his act against the administration of public security within the past six months.
Article 21 Under one of the following circumstances, the penalty of administrative detention shall not be executed against the
person who has committed an act against the administration of public security, although such a penalty should be imposed on him/
her according to the provisions of this Law:
(1) The person has attained to the age of 14 but not to the age of 16;
(2) The person has attained to the age of 16 but not to the age of 18, and such act is committed for the first time;
(3) The person is over 70 years old; or
(4) The person is pregnant or breast-feeds her own baby who is not one year old.
Article 22 Where an act committed against the administration of public security is not discovered by the public security organ
within six months, the person committing such act shall no longer be penalized.
The period of time specified in the preceding paragraph shall be counted from the date the act is committed against the administration
of public security; and if such act is continual or continuing, the period of time shall be counted from the date the act ends.
Chapter III Acts Against the Administration of Public Security and Penalties
Section 1 Acts Disturbing Public Order and Penalties
Article 23 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be given a warning or be fined not more than RMB 200 yuan; and
if the circumstances are relatively serious, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in
addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) disturbing the order of government departments, public organizations, enterprises or institutions, thus making it impossible
for work, production, business operation, medical care, teaching or scientific research to go on normally but not having caused serious
losses;
(2) disturbing the public order at stations, ports, wharves, airports, department stores, parks, exhibition halls or other public
places;
(3) disturbing the public order on board of buses, trolleybuses, trains, ships, aircrafts and other means of public transportation;
(4) illegally intercepting or forcibly boarding or holding on to motor vehicles, ships, aircrafts and other means of public transportation,
thus hampering the normal operation of the means of public transportation; or
(5) disrupting the order of elections conducted according to law.
Where the acts mentioned in the preceding paragraphs are committed by a crowd, the ringleader shall be detained for not less than
10 days but not more than 15 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Article 24 A person who commits one of the following acts, thus disturbing the order of such large-scale activities of a mass character
as cultural and sports activities, shall be given a warning or be fined not more than 200 yuan; and if the circumstances are serious,
he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) forcibly entering the arena;
(2) setting off fireworks, firecrackers or other articles in the arena in violation of regulations;
(3) displaying such articles as humiliating slogans and streamers;
(4) joining with other persons in attacking a referee, player or any other worker;
(5) throwing odds and ends into the arena and turning a deaf ear to the order to stop; or
(6) other acts disturbing the order of large-scale mass activities.
A person on whom the penalty of detention is imposed because he disturbs the order of a sports competition may, at the same time,
be ordered not to enter a stadium or gymnasium to watch a competition of the same sport within 12 months; if he enters a stadium
or gymnasium in violation of the order, he shall be forcibly brought out of the spot.
Article 25 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days
and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not
more than 5 days or be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) intentionally disturbing public order by spreading rumors, making false reports of dangerous situations and epidemic situations
or raising false alarms or by other means;
(2) disturbing public order by putting in fake hazardous substances such as explosive, toxic, radioactive and corrosive substances
or pathogens of infectious diseases; or
(3) disturbing public order by threatening to set fire, set off explosions, or put in hazardous substances.
Article 26 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days
and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, he shall be detained for
not less 10 than days but not more than 15 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) gang-fighting;
(2) chasing or intercepting another person;
(3) forcibly taking and obstinately seizing, or willfully damaging and occupying public or private property; or
(4) other provocative acts.
Article 27 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days
and may, in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for
not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) organizing, instigating, coercing, inducing or inciting another person to engage in activities of cults, superstitious sects,
or secret societies, or making use of cults, superstitious sects, secret societies, or superstitious activities to disturb social
order and harm the health of another people; or
(2) disturbing social order and harming the health of another person by masquerading under the name of religion or qigong.
Article 28 A person who, in violation of State regulations, intentionally interferes with the normal operation of the radio business,
or brings about harmful interference with the normal operation of radio stations and refuses to take effective measures to eliminate
such interference after the competent department points out the fact, shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than
10 days; and if the circumstances are serious, he shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days.
Article 29 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not more than five days; and if the circumstances
are relatively serious, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days:
(1) in violation of State regulations, invading a computer information system, which causes harm to the system;
(2) in violation of State regulations, deleting, changing, increasing or interfering with the functions of a computer information
system, which makes it impossible for the system to operate normally;
(3) in violation of State regulations, deleting, changing or increasing the stored, processed or transmitted data and the application
program of a computer information system; or
(4) intentionally making up or transmitting such destructive programs as computer virus, which adversely affects the normal operation
of a computer information system.
Section 2 Acts Impairing Public Security and Penalties
Article 30 A person who, in violation of State regulations, manufactures, buys, sells, stores, transports, mails, carries, uses,
provides or disposes of hazardous substances such as explosive, toxic, radioactive and corrosive substances or pathogens of infectious
diseases shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he
shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days.
Article 31 A person who fails to report, as required by relevant regulations, when such hazardous substances as explosive, toxic,
radioactive and corrosive substances or pathogens of infectious diseases are stolen, robbed or lost shall be detained for not more
than five days; and if he intentionally conceals the fact, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days.
Article 32 A person who illegally carries such implements under control according to State regulations as firearms and ammunition,
or crossbows and daggers shall be detained for not more that five days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan; and
if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be given a warning or be fined not more than 200 yuan.
A person who illegally carries such implements under control according to State regulations as firearms and ammunition, or crossbows
and daggers to a public place or aboard a public transportation means shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than
10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan.
Article 33 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days:
(1) stealing or destroying oil or gas pipe-line installations, electric power and telecommunications facilities, radio and TV facilities,
and water-conservancy and flood-control engineering facilities, or such public utilities as ones for hydrological monitoring, hydrographic
survey, meteorological monitoring and weather forecast, environmental monitoring, geological monitoring and seismologic monitoring;
(2) moving to another place or destroying boundary tablets and markers of the national border and other boundary markers and installations,
or marking installations of territorial land and waters; or
(3) conducting illegal activities affecting the alignment of the national border (frontier) line, or constructing installations which
hampers national border (frontier) administration.
Article 34 A person who steals, damages or moves to another place without permission aviation facilities in use, or forcibly enters
the control cabin of an aircraft shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days.
A person who uses implements or tools aboard an aircraft in use, which may impair the normal function of the navigation system, and
turns a deaf ear to dissuasions shall be detained for not more than 5 days or be fined not more than 500 yuan.
Article 35 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than five days but not more than 10 days
and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not
more than 5 days or be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) stealing, destroying or moving to another place without permission railway facilities, equipment, rolling stock appendages or
safety markers;
(2) placing obstacles on railway lines, or intentionally throwing things to trains;
(3) digging holes or quarrying and taking sand along railway lines, on bridges or in culverts; or
(4) privately setting up road junctions or level crossings on railway lines.
Article 36 A person who enters railway shelter networks without permission or walks, sits or lies down on railway lines, or rushes
across railway lines when a train is approaching, which endangers traffic safety, shall be given a warning or be fined not more than
200 yuan.
Article 37 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than
500 yuan; and if the circumstances are serious, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may,
in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) installing or using electrified wire-nettings without permission, or installing or using them at variance with the regulations
on safety;
(2) failing to place covers, fences or warning signs for ditches, wells, ridges and holes when engaging in construction at places
where vehicles and pedestrians pass, or intentionally destroying or moving to another place the covers, fences or warning signs;
or
(3) stealing or destroying such public utilities as well covers on road surfaces and lighting facilities.
Article 38 Where an accident endangering safety may occur during such large-scale mass activities as cultural and sports activities
held in violation of relevant regulations, such activities shall be ordered to stop, and the participants shall be immediately evacuated;
the organizer shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and shall, in addition, be fined not less than
200 yuan but not more than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not more than five days
or be fined not more than 500 yuan.
Article 39 Where the manager of a hotel, restaurant, cinema, theater, entertainment center, sports ground, exhibition hall or other
places for public activities violates regulations on safety, so that an accident endangering safety may occur at such a place, and
refuses to rectify after a public security organ orders him to do so, he shall be detained for not more than five days.
Section 3 Acts Infringing upon Rights of the Person and of Property and Penalties
Article 40 If a person commits one of the following acts, he shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days
and shall, in addition, be fined not less than 500 yuan but not more than 1,000 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor,
he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and shall, in addition, be fined not less than 200 yuan but
not more than 500 yuan:
(1) organizing or coercing persons who have not attained to the age of 16 or who are disabled to give terrifying or inhumane performances,
or luring such persons into giving such performances;
(2) forcing another person to work by means of violence or threat or other means; or
(3) illegally restricting another person’s freedom of the person, illegally breaking into another person’s house or illegally
making a body search of another person.
Article 41 A person who coerces another person to go begging, lures such person into begging or uses the person in begging shall
be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
A person who continually pesters or forcibly begs from another person or begs by other irritating means shall be detained for not
more than five days or be given a warning.
Article 42 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than
500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively serious, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days
and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan:
(1) writing letters of intimidation or threatening the personal safety of another person by other means;
(2) openly humiliating another person or slandering another person by fabricating stories;
(3) framing-up another person by fabricating stories in an attempt to make the person subject to criminal investigation or to penalty
for administration of public security;
(4) threatening, humiliating or beating up a witness or his close relative or retaliating against either of them;
(5) repeatedly dispatching pornographic, humiliating, intimidating or other information to disturb the normal life of another person;
or
(6) peeping, secretly taking photos, eavesdropping, or spreading the privacy of another person.
Article 43 A person who beats up another person, or intentionally hurts the body of another person shall be detained for not less
than 5 days but not more than 10 days and shall, in addition, be fined not less than 200 yuan but not more than 500 yuan; and if
the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 500 yuan.
A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days and shall, in
addition, be fined not less than 500 yuan but not more than 1,000 yuan:
(1) gang-fighting and hurting another person;
(2) beating up and hurting a disabled person, pregnant woman, or a person who has not attained to the age of 14 or who is over 60
years old; or
(3) beating up and hurting another person for more than two times, or beating up and hurting more than two persons once.
Article 44 A person who molests another person or intentionally exposes his/her body in a public place, if the circumstances are
abominable, shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days; if a person molests a mentally disabled person,
or a person suffering mental disorder, or a person who has not attained to the age of 14, or commits such act with other serious
circumstances, he shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days.
Article 45 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be detained for not more than five days or be given a warning:
(1) maltreating a family member, who demands handling of the matter; or
(2) abandoning a supported person who can not look after himself.
Article 46 A person who forcibly buys or sells commodities, forces another person to provide services or to accept services shall
be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and shall, in addition, be fined not less than 200 yuan but not more
than 500 yuan; and if the circumstances are relatively minor, he shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more
than 500 yuan.
Article 47 A person who incites national hatred or national discrimination, or publishes contents about national discrimination
or humiliation in publications or computer information networks shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15
days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Article 48 A person who claims under false pretences, hides, destroys, discards, stealthily opens or illegally examines the mail
of another person shall be detained for not more than five days or be fined not more than 500 yuan.
Article 49 A person who steals, defrauds, forcibly seizes, openly robs, racketeers or intentionally destroys public or private
property shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan;
and if the circumstances are relatively serious, he shall be detained for not less than 10 days but not more than 15 days and may,
in addition, be fined not more than 1,000 yuan.
Section 4 Acts Impeding Social Administration and Penalties
Article 50 A person who commits one of the following acts shall be given a warning or be fined not more than 200 yuan; and if the
circumstances are serious, he shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days, and may, in addition, be fined
not more than 500 yuan:
(1) refusing to carry out the decision or order issued according to law by the people’s government in a state of emergency;
(2) obstructing the staff member of a government department from performing his duties according to law;
(3) obstructing the passage of such vehicles as fire engines, ambulances, engineering emergency trucks and patrol wagons on emergency
duties; or
(4) forcibly breaking through a warning belt or area set up by a public security organ.
A person who obstructs the people’s police from performing their duties according to law shall be given a heavier penalty.
Article 51 A person who pretends to be a staff member of a government department or uses another false identity to practice fraud
shall be detained for not less than 5 days but not more than 10 days and may, in addition, be fined not more than 500 yuan; and
