China readies for crackdown on organized crime

BEIJING - China plans to set up a special unit to crack down on organized crime, which is on the increase as the country's economy slows, state media said Monday.

The Ministry of Public Security is creating a new division that will focus on gang-related crimes such as organized prostitution, gambling, drug production and trafficking, the official China Daily quoted a senior ministry official as saying.

"In the foreseeable future, gangs will remain active as the country undergoes dramatic social and economic change," said the official, who declined to be named for security reasons. "Gang-related crimes have become a threat to our social stability and the economy."

Security officials will also keep a close eye on possible crimes stemming from unemployment amid the ongoing financial downturn, the report said.

Liang Huaren, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, was quoted as saying that the large numbers of laid-off migrant workers as well as the widening gap between rich and poor has helped fuel an increase in gang-related crimes.

China's court system reported that 337 gang crimes were prosecuted in 2007, marking a 161 percent increase from the previous year.

The ministry official said that gangs are expanding their reach into more areas and industries, such as construction, transportation and mining.

He said the Public Security Ministry will also focus on rooting out corrupt government officials who shelter gangsters.

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