On December 12, 2025, the official WeChat account of Jiaxing Traffic Police released a notice stating that adjustments had been made to the names, office addresses and jurisdictions of all brigades under the Traffic Management Detachment. A month earlier, the Jiaxing Public Security Bureau had issued a circular announcing that its Traffic Police Detachment was renamed the Traffic Management Detachment.
Jiaxing is not alone. Since June 2025, public security traffic management departments across China have been renamed one after another.
A major change is that the phrase Traffic Police has been replaced with Traffic Management, with the word “Police” removed and the term “Management” highlighted prominently.
Along with the renaming, traffic management departments in some regions have also integrated the responsibilities of the Expressway Police Detachments into their own functions, and the separate Expressway Police Detachments have been abolished.
According to incomplete statistics by reporters from Southern Weekly, public announcements on the reform of traffic management institutions have been issued in Beijing, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Yantai, Jiaxing, Enshi, Yinchuan and other cities.
On June 15, 2025, the Yinchuan Public Security Bureau took the lead in announcing that its Traffic Police Detachment was renamed the Traffic Management Detachment, and concurrently added the plaque of Traffic Administration Bureau.
Shortly after, on June 27, the Traffic Management Detachment of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Public Security Bureau in Hubei Province issued an Announcement on the Change of Institutional Names, declaring that it had integrated the responsibilities of the former Traffic Police Detachment and Expressway Police Detachment to form a new Traffic Management Detachment, and the original Expressway Police Detachment was revoked.
The following day, the Traffic Police Detachment of the Yantai Public Security Bureau released an announcement with identical content.
While adjusting their institutions, public security organs in some regions have also restructured and optimized their internal organizational frameworks.
Public information released by the People’s Government of Guangde City, Anhui Province on September 18 showed that after the renaming of the Traffic Management Brigade of the Guangde Public Security Bureau, the brigade has retained all its original duties and additionally taken on new responsibilities including municipal road traffic administration and traffic order regulation across the city.
According to government disclosure information on the official website of the Beijing Public Security Bureau Traffic Administration Bureau, the title and affixing unit of its Announcement No.41 of 2025, released on December 2 and titled Announcement on Adjusting Traffic Management Measures for Qianliang Hutong in Dongcheng District, have been changed from the previous Beijing Public Security Bureau Public Security Traffic Administration Bureau to Beijing Public Security Bureau Traffic Administration Bureau.
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s road traffic safety administration system has undergone multiple adjustments. It was not until October 1986 that the State Council issued the Notice on the Reform of the Road Traffic Administration System, deciding that road traffic in urban and rural areas nationwide should be uniformly administered by public security organs.
On December 31, 1986, with the approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Public Security set up the Traffic Administration Bureau, which is responsible for guiding national road traffic safety administration, formulating unified national regulations on road traffic safety, participating in the planning of road construction and traffic safety facilities, and organizing and coordinating scientific and technological research on traffic safety.
Subsequently, public security departments of all provinces and autonomous regions, as well as public security bureaus of municipalities directly under the Central Government, have established Traffic Police Corps; prefecture-level cities have set up Traffic Police Detachments; counties (districts) have formed Traffic Police Brigades with subordinate squadrons. A comprehensive national hierarchical public security traffic management system has been established with complete institutional coverage.
The Road Traffic Administration Regulations was formally implemented on August 1, 1988. The Road Traffic Safety Law came into force on May 1, 2004, stipulating that the public security department of the State Council shall be responsible for road traffic safety administration nationwide.
What changes have taken place in the functions and work of traffic police following this round of renaming?
A traffic police officer from a municipal public security bureau in Shandong Province told reporters from Southern Weekly that there have been no changes to daily work content so far. A public security officer in Sichuan Province stated that the word “Police” to a certain extent reflects law enforcement functions, while the term “Management” further highlights the comprehensive responsibilities of traffic administration.
According to a report by the Media Convergence Center of Yongjing County, Gansu Province, Yi Bin, Deputy Captain of the Traffic Management Brigade of the Yongjing Public Security Bureau, said in an interview on October 11, 2025 that the renaming from Traffic Police Brigade to Traffic Management Brigade is more than a mere name change; it signifies the deepening and integration of functional responsibilities. The added word “Management” underscores the overall coordination of the whole-chain duties including traffic hazard investigation, facility planning and policy formulation.
In addition, on November 4, 2025, the Traffic Management Brigade of the Kuandian Public Security Bureau in Liaoning Province held an inauguration and plaque-unveiling ceremony for the newly established Traffic Management Brigade. As introduced by the official WeChat account Kuandian Release, after the renaming and plaque unveiling, the new brigade has assumed more comprehensive responsibilities, including road traffic safety administration, traffic order rectification, and vehicle and driver services.
