The Ministry of Public Security Introduces New Regulations to Curb "Deep-sea Fishing" Chaos

In recent years, the opposition to "deep-sea fishing" and "profit-driven law enforcement" has been growing louder. This phenomenon arises from multiple factors, including the need for case handlers in some regions to "make ends meet" due to financial pressure, leading them to seek cases that can generate economic benefits. Another important reason is that the provisions of our country's criminal jurisdiction are overly broad, with jurisdictional rules that allow for regulation as long as there is a connection, providing a legal basis for "deep-sea fishing."

Since the second half of 2024, the judicial system has implemented several measures to curb distant-water fishing, such as the "Procuratorial Protection of Enterprises" special action and the "Special Supervision of Violations of Law Enforcement in Different Locations and Profit-driven Law Enforcement". However, the most powerful measure is the new regulation issued by the Ministry of Public Security in March 2025, which will curb distant-water fishing from the source and effectively prevent some local public security agencies from abusing their jurisdiction to pursue economic benefits through profit-driven law enforcement.

Provisions on Jurisdiction in New Regulations

The new regulations clarify that the jurisdiction of interprovincial criminal cases is primarily based on the main location of the crime, with the location of the enterprise serving as a supplementary principle. This differs from the current jurisdiction regulations for criminal cases. Under the current regulations, criminal cases are under the jurisdiction of the public security authority at the location of the crime or the residence of the suspect, where the location of the crime includes both the place where the criminal act occurred and the place where the result of the crime occurred. For cyber crimes, the jurisdiction is even broader, covering multiple locations including the location of the server and the location of the network service provider.

This broad jurisdiction provision may lead to multiple issues:

1. Different regional law enforcement agencies may "compete" for jurisdiction over economically beneficial cases.
2. Defense attorneys find it difficult to adopt effective defense strategies for "profit-driven enforcement" cases from a jurisdictional perspective.
3. When the objective of the case changes to "pursuing economic benefits", it may affect the fair handling of the case.
4. For new or technologically demanding cases (such as those involving blockchain and Web3 criminal cases), the local handling units may lack relevant expertise and technical means.

The implementation of the new regulations will help address these issues and ensure that cases are under the jurisdiction of the most appropriate local public security authorities.

Relief Measures for Enterprises Facing "Deep-Sea Fishing"

In the face of potential "high seas fishing", companies can take the following measures:

1. Raise an objection to the jurisdiction to the public security organs and have the right to appeal. The new regulations require law enforcement agencies to promptly accept and investigate the objection to jurisdiction.

2. Call "12389" to report complaints. The new regulations state that those who violate the regulations will be held accountable for the responsibilities of the relevant personnel.

3. Log in to the 12389 China Procuratorate website to file complaints. The Supreme Procuratorate has established a "Special Supervision Zone for Cross-Regional Law Enforcement and Profit-Motivated Law Enforcement Involving Enterprises" on the site, where enterprises can report relevant issues.

Conclusion

Since the new regulations were issued in March 2025, local public security systems have been actively organizing learning and implementation. Many public security agencies are also conducting special actions based on the new regulations for investigation. It is hoped that this regulation can truly be implemented, allowing the victims of "deep-sea fishing" to regain their lives, and enabling every ordinary person to feel the progress of the rule of law and ensure that individual rights are more fully protected.