BEIJING -- Party and government leaders at all levels will face penalties if they fail to ensure public security,according to a new regulation.

Party and government leaders responsible for social order will be held accountable for any failings, according to the regulation, which was issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and General Office of the State Council.

Leading cadres will also be punished if a series of major criminal cases, mass incidents or public security incidents occur within a short period of time, or if they are of a particularly grave nature, or raise strong concerns, among others.

In the above-mentioned scenarios, Party and government leaders will be reprimanded with a circulated notice, summoned for talks, given a deadline for improvement, ordered to resign, or dismissed. In some cases, they could be prosecuted for criminal offences.