Serious accidents are virtually always caused by negligence — another word for dereliction of duty. But not every offense is investigated and punished. The Supreme People’s Procuratorate set up a special office to investigate suspected cases of dereliction of duty in connection with grave traffic and industrial accidents. The action is absolutely necessary to reduce accidents, says an article in Beijing News. Excerpts:

The offence of duty dereliction is hard to discover. The case is hard to register. And the crime is hard to investigate. The rise of the Internet makes it increasingly difficult for the suspected officials to evade the public’s supervision.

The government has always played a leading role in investigating duty dereliction before. Now, the establishment of the special offices by the procuratorate authorities may change the situation.

In fact, it is impossible for the government to be both players and referees in the investigation of officials involved in dereliction cases.

It is noteworthy that the investigation rights and judicial rights are different in nature. The judicial investigators must be active in carrying out independent investigations, and take the initiative to invite third-party specialists to participate in the investigations.

The judicial authorities should also make a good use of the people’s support to let the people see justice and fairness.