National Police Administration
The police force in Taiwan is divided
into the national and local levels. They are both under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior through the National Police Administration. Taiwan has a unified or centralized police
system that is very different from the United State's localized or decentralized police system.
The police functions in Taiwan are clearly defined in the Police Act as follows: 1) to maintain
public order, 2) to protect social security, 3) to prevent all dangers, and 4) to promote the welfare of all people. The police are responsible for enforcing the law and maintaining public order but are also responsible for crime prevention and the protection of the lives and property of others. They are also assigned particular duties which are not practiced in many countries. These include, 1) management of exit from and entry into Taiwan; the police handle immigrations affairs, 2) civil defense and disaster rescue, 3) fire prevention and fire fighting, 4) order maintenance and riot control, 5) assistance for other government affairs whenever necessary. . There were 75,517 police officers in 1990. There were 20,025 directly
under the jurisdiction of the National police administration; 12,277 under the jurisdiction of
Taipei and Kaoshong City; and 43,215 under the jurisdiction of Taiwan Province.
Sources and Resources
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/taiwan/npa.htm
Created by John Pike
Maintained by Steven Aftergood
Updated Sunday, July 18, 1999 5:18:02 PM
