Although China is an authoritarian regime, its local police officers are surprisingly weak. They have high caseloads and lots of paperwork to complete and do not carry guns. When political protests arise, however, China enlists the People’s Armed Police to suppress dissent, speedily and forcefully. Suzanne Scoggins, Associate Professor of Political Science at Clark University, discusses how the tedium of everyday policing changes dramatically when social unrest poses a threat to regime stability and the appearance of social harmony.

Interview was conducted on March 5, 2024