‍With millions of Chinese making long journeys home for the annual Spring Festival, safety is a concern for all. It's something the government is very aware of, and the increased presence of police on the streets during this period is very noticeable. However, while the extra security is comfort to some, it can often be off-putting to others.

Is China a safe country? A question which draws a lot of different answers, yet for many, the essence is that China is safe. However, do people feel safe because of the increased domestic security?

"Before China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, it practiced a planned economy. Back then, the police were only assigned to cover a certain amount of the population, but after reform and opening up, migration became more active, hence the higher crime rate. That's why the central government has increased the police presence – this is normal," said Professor Zhang Xiaobing with People’s Public Security University of China.

China has been accused of not revealing all its domestic security and law enforcement spending in a bid to "maintain stability." A recent report speculated that in 2016, the figure would have been around 26 billion US dollars. However, experts say that can only be a vague estimate, as the calculation would involve many unknown elements.

"Western countries focus more on policing when it comes to tackling crime – of course, police should be the prominent component. But China is more focused on how to coordinate different parties, especially the ordinary people. I think the public is playing a major role in dealing with crime," said Zhang.

Professor Zhang also pointed out that despite the large police presence in China; proportionally, it's still fewer than in the US.

"The number of police in China is about two million. In some western countries, like the US, the number is around 700 thousand. But the US has a population of only 300 million. China has 1.3 billion people," added Zhang.