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Public security bolstered for Asiad

By Zheng Caixiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-13 07:19

GUANGZHOU - Police across Guangdong province have cracked 657 gun-related cases in a special campaign aimed to ensure a smooth start to the upcoming 16th Asian Games.

A total of 1,705 guns and ammunition, controlled knives and explosives were seized in the six-month crackdown from April to September.

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More guns were seized in their campaign compared to the same period last year, according to He Guangping, deputy director-general of Guangdong provincial department of public security.

The campaign had a heavy impact on gun-related crime, which is a threat to society, He said on Tuesday in Guangzhou, provincial capital of Guangdong.

It also helped improve public security in the province and will certainly contribute to ensuring a smooth, safe and successful Asian Games and Asian Para Games, which are to be hosted in Guangzhou in November and December, he said.

The 16th Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou between Nov 12 and 27, while the Asian Para Games are scheduled to take place the following month.

The Ministry of Public Security urged the six provinces and regions surrounding Guangdong to make greater efforts to fight gun-related crime and to prevent any guns from entering the province over the coming months.

The success of the crackdown has boosted public security in Guangdong, which has become particularly noticeable over recent months.

"The number of cases involving the abduction of women and children, murder and robbery has dropped steeply across the province in the first nine months of this year," he said.

Statistics from the provincial department of public security show that Guangdong police cracked 95,246 criminal cases, including 782 homicides over a six-month period ending in September.

Police also seized 49.5 kg of heroin, 616 kg of methamphetamine, or ice as it is commonly known, and more than 30,000 ecstasy tablets in another 7,197 drug-related cases over the same period.

In Guangzhou, police have promised citizens rewards of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,463) for successful tip-offs on crimes involving guns, knives and explosives.