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Research Article

Why is the policing weak in China? The mindset of police officers in money laundering cases

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Pages 624-639 | Received 13 Feb 2019, Accepted 08 Jul 2019, Published online: 28 Jul 2019
 

ABSTRACT

While China has made great strides in establishing anti–money laundering regimes, problems of weak enforcement remain. In China, criminals who were involved with money laundering offences were rarely policed and hence not convicted at the end of the day. The amount of crime that officially ‘exists’ depends on the enforcement authority’s capability and willingness to ferret it out and label it. Lacking sufficient capability and motivation, the authorities are frequently unwilling to trace the flow of illicit proceeds. Based on analysis of anti–money laundering practices, this research strives to root out the mindset of police officers in the enforcement of these laws.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

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28. ibid.

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32. Social stability is being understood as the political and social security that accompanies conflict-free social relations. Many studies have examined its dominant role in reframing the approaches adopted towards law and justice. Xin He, ‘“No Malicious Incidents”: The Concern for Stability in China’s Divorce Law Practice’ (Citation2017) 26(4) Social and Legal Studies 467.

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35. Interview with Police Officer Lin, District Public Security Sub-bureau, (District C, City Q, China, 2 November 2017).

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37. Interview with Police Officer Xue, who has worked in the regional PSB for over 10 years. District Public Security Bureau (District L, City Q, China, 26 January 2018).

38. ibid.

39. Interview with Police Officer Chen, District Public Security Bureau (District C, City Q, China, 26 January 2018).

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46. Naomi E Stotland, ‘Role of Law Enforcement in the Fight Against White-collar Crime’ in Herbert Edelhertz and Thomas D Overcast (eds), From White-Collar Crime – An Agenda for Research (Lexington, Citation1982) 69–98.

47. Guillermo Lorenzo Macias Fernandez et al., ‘The “Lava Jato” Network: Corruption and Money Laundering in Brazil’, The Global Observatory of Transnational Criminal Networks – Working Paper No. 29, April 2018.

48. Tom Wright et al., Billion Dollar Whale (Hachette Books, Citation2018).

49. Louise Shelley, ‘Corruption and Organized Crime in Mexico in the Post-PRI Transition’ (Citation2001) 17(3) Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 213.

50. Friedrichs (n 45).

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