CHONGQING -- Authorities are cracking down on civilian vehicles carrying counterfeit army and police license plates which are being used by criminals, according to military sources.

Related readings: China cracks down on bogus military vehicles, plates

Thirty criminal gangs involved in robbery, counterfeit and trading military car plates have been rounded up. Police have seized 1,600 fake military plates and more than 1,500 fake military vehicles. A number of transportation companies have been punished.

In China, military vehicles are exempt from paying highway tolls.

A year ago, when military and civil inspectors jointly conducted a late night spot check of military vehicles on the Chengdu to Chongqing Expressway, they found 32 of 36 vehicles were fake.

Expressway company officials said it didn't take long for word of the spot check to get passed around as there are usually more than 100 military vehicles on the road at the time of the spot check.

The PLA General Political Department said military and local governments have to coordinate the crackdown, and set up a long-term mechanism to deal with the issue.

The PLA and the Ministry of Public Security have opened a website containing information on stolen military vehicles.

Meanwhile, a wireless monitoring and alarming system has been installed on some expressways, that can detect a passing stolen military vehicle.