Guangdong police to severely crackdown on crime

Guangdong police vowed to further advance the "Thunder Escort" special crackdown and rectification campaign in the following months, aiming to lay a solid foundation for securing a decisive victory in security preparations for the upcoming APEC meeting.

Centering on the work goal of maintaining safety and stability in the southern province throughout the whole year, police officers will be guided by major special campaigns and clustered operations to launch heavy-handed crackdowns on all types of illegal acts, Liu Guozhou, vice-governor of Guangdong province, said.

He made the remarks while addressing a video conference for public security departments across the province in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, on Monday.

"These efforts are designed to create strong deterrence and a sound law-and-order atmosphere, to minimize criminal cases and police calls to the greatest extent possible," Liu, who is also director of Guangdong provincial department of public security, said.

The year 2026 is APEC "China Year", as the APEC meetings will be held in Guangdong's Shenzhen special economic zone in November.

Liu urged police authorities to resolutely safeguard the personal and property safety of the general public and spare no effort — in accordance with the law — in severely cracking down on prominent illegal and criminal activities that undermine public security perceptions, including telecom fraud, theft and robbery, and street fights.

Meanwhile authorities will severely crack down on all types of online rumors to maintain a clean and orderly cyberspace, he said.

"A thorough cleanup of firearms and explosives will be carried out to strictly uphold the bottom-line requirement of zero firearm-related shootings and explosions, while comprehensive inspections will be conducted on venues prone to illegal activities to continuously improve the public security environment," Liu said.

According to Liu, remarkable results have been achieved in combating illegal crimes involving firearms and explosives, theft and robbery, and online rumors since the launch of the campaign when public security departments across the province have rigorously enforced various measures, including swift and severe crackdowns, stringent management and control, and elimination of hidden risks at the source.

The number of solved criminal cases and persons detained saw substantial increases of 15.7 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively, province-wide, while original criminal and public security police reports, as well as criminal cases dropped markedly by 23.8 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively, he added.