China watchdog says police coming up short in graft fight

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Public Security Ministry, which runs the police, is coming up short in its efforts to tackle corruption with some officials lacking a sense of justice in carrying out their jobs, the ruling Communist Party's graft watchdog said on Monday. Domestic security was the fiefdom of the once powerful Zhou Yongkang who ran China's fearsome domestic security forces. But Zhou was jailed for life last year for bribery, leaking state secrets and abuse of power, the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft probe since the ruling Communist Party swept to power in 1949. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, in its latest round of routine inspections of government and party departments, said it found the ministry had "weak spots" when it came to enforcing the law. "Some officials and police officers do not enforce the law in a standard, just and cultured way," the watchdog said, without giving specific examples or naming anyone. There were problems with promotions, and party rules on fighting corruption had yet to be totally followed, it added. "There are shortcomings in supervision and enforcing discipline," the watchdog said. "In certain areas there is a fairly prominent corruption risk." The inspection team had found "clues" to problems with some officials and handed them over for further handling, it added, again without elaborating. In response, Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun said the problems the inspection found "hit the nail on the head" and should serve as a warning, adding that his department took on board the feedback and would work hard to correct problems. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)