Martial arts training of the Chinese police

Zhang Sheng Li, the founder of the Milun School where I first studied baguazhang, is a qin na instructor at the police academy in Beijing. I mentioned this in a post back in August 2005, and recalled how back in the UK I’d read an article somewhere about the martial arts training given to the Chinese police. I’m not sure if it’s the same one (if not, it’s pretty similar), but I recently found an article on Kung Fu magazine’s web site: To Protect and To Serve. It’s interesting beyond the martial arts aspect, as it discusses among many other things the problem of setting up a police force for a totally brand new city – Shenzhen, which was just a fishing village not so long ago. Another issue is the eternal problem of Chinese law enforcement: a population where martial arts skills are common and of a high standard:

Another problem with Chinese law enforcement is that more people practice the martial arts. Since cops go hand-to-hand more often, this is a very serious issue. There have been recent efforts to control the teaching of kung fu to the public. Chen remembers when some forms of kung fu were banned in certain areas. Styles like Wing Chun were targeted, since close-combat methods present the most trouble for an arresting officer. However, China has tried to ban martial arts since imperial times with little success. Kung fu always prevails. Unfortunately, it’s as much a weapon for criminals as a tool for police, so Chinese cops must always be prepared.