BEIJING, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders have called for harsh punishments and effective precautions to be taken against public officials' dereliction of duty.

Both punishment and precautionary measures were important in promoting social harmony and stability, and should be paid equal attention, they stressed.

Wu Bangguo, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, who are members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks during their visit on Sunday to an exhibition on China's procuratorates' work to fight against crimes of malfeasance and rights infringement.

The fight against such crimes was also part of the country's anti-corruption campaign, they said.

The leaders also called on government officials and Party cadres to take the lead in upholding China's Constitution and laws and make further efforts to improve their awareness of the rule of law.

When dealing with cases of officials' negligent conduct, procuratorial agencies should diligently practice their duty of supervision and strictly enforce the laws for the interest of the people, the leaders said.