Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security is answering questions at a press conference held in Beijing, April 11, 2006. [Xinhua]

China sees decline of violent crimes in 1st quarter

China saw a decline of serious violent criminal cases but a rise of property infringement cases in the first three months of this year, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security said in Beijing Tuesday.

Spokesman Wu Heping said at a press conference that in the first quarter, a total of 926,000 criminal cases were put on file, almost the same as that in the corresponding time last year. But the number of serious violent cases declined. The cases of murder, explosion, arson and rape dropped 12.4 percent, 7.8 percent, 15.3 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively.

In the meantime, Wu said, the cases of property infringement increased by 1.6 percent over the same period last year. Theft, defraud and robbery rose 1.1 percent, 9.4 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.

According to Wu, the detective capability of Chinese police showed an obvious improvement, as 302,000 criminal cases were cracked in the first three months, up 2.5 percent over that of last year.

He also noted that Chinese police handled 1.269 million cases concerning public security in the period, down 10.5 percent year-on-year. A total of 1.049 million public security cases was settled, down 10.7 percent.

Fire, traffic accidents decline in 1st quarter

Both fire and traffic accidents in China declined in the first quarter of this years, Wu Heping, spokesman for Ministry of Public Security, said in Beijing Tuesday.

At a press conference, Wu said that China reported 68,000 cases of fire in the three months, a decrease of one percent year-on-year. Fires killed 543 people and injured 339, which went down 45.9 percent and 40.4 percent respectively.

Fire also led to a direct loss of property worth 190 million yuan (around 23.75 million U.S. dollars), a decrease of 50.2 percent from the same period last year.

An obvious decrease was also seen in traffic accidents, Wu said. A total of 98,000 traffic accidents took place, down 11.3 percent from the corresponding period of last year, in which 20,961 people died, down 8.5 percent; 115,443 got injured, down one percent. Direct property loss was worth 390 million yuan (48.75 million U.S. dollars), down 18.3 percent.

China supports police to legally use guns: official

China supports police to legally use guns, Wu Heping, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Security, said in Beijing Tuesday.

At a press conference, Wu said that over the past two decades Chinese police have made persistent efforts to fight criminal activities. They encounter great dangers in face-to-face fighting with law-offenders.

Official statistics show that around 400 Chinese police die on duty each year.

Wu stressed that Chinese police have strict rules on using guns, which are considered to be a powerful approach to check and combat criminal activities. On the other hand, the misuse of guns are forbidden.

According to China's Criminal Law, police can shoot at criminals when their life or common people's life are threatened. In this sense, the legal use of guns by the police should be supported, said the spokesman.