Editing Police (section)

==== China ====
Law enforcement in [[ancient China]] was carried out by "prefects" for thousands of years since it developed in both the [[Chu (state)|Chu]] and [[Jin (Chinese state)|Jin]] kingdoms of the [[Spring and Autumn period]]. In Jin, dozens of prefects were spread across the state, each having limited authority and employment period. They were appointed by local magistrates, who reported to higher authorities such as governors, who in turn were appointed by the emperor, and they oversaw the civil administration of their "prefecture", or jurisdiction. Under each prefect were "subprefects" who helped collectively with law enforcement in the area. Some prefects were responsible for handling investigations, much like modern police detectives. Prefects could also be women.<ref>Whittaker, Jake. "UC Davis East Asian Studies". University of California, Davis. [http://eastasian.ucdavis.edu/research.htm UCdavis.edu]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007143652/http://eastasian.ucdavis.edu/research.htm|date=October 7, 2008}}.</ref> Local citizens could report minor judicial offenses against them such as robberies at a local prefectural office. The concept of the "prefecture system" spread to other cultures such as Korea and Japan.