It is not known whether the three of Yang's colleagues who allegedly beat up Zhou also share his views on human life. But such disrespect for human life reveal that some police officers don't have even the minimum respect for common people and their dignity. Hopefully, such inhuman attitude is not widespread among law enforcement officers.

Accepted, no police officer wants to be part of an incident involving the death of a person. But if a police officer is indeed involved in negotiating compensation for a victim, which is usually a part of such matters, he/she should not reduce the talks to a commercial bargain because a human life cannot be traded in the market.

For a family, no amount of material compensation can make up for the loss of a beloved's life.

Police officers are supposed to enforce the law and maintain social order, not to violate or sabotage them, especially because the public is less tolerant toward them given that their malpractices and crimes will harm the interests of the people they deal with, and damage the dignity of the law.

Yang's remarks also expose some police officers' lack of remorse and sympathy toward victims and their families. Such language is tantamount to rubbing salt in the wounds of a victim's family.

Without a change in the attitude of the country's grassroots police officers, some of whom sometimes insult or show contempt toward ordinary people, it will be difficult to eliminate the shadow of mistrust between them and the public.

The campaign launched by the country's leadership to transform the working style of Party officials and government employees cannot succeed if grassroots government employees continue to indulge in such kind of acts.

The author is a senior writer with China Daily. wuyixue@chinadaily.com.cn