Leader calls for major Tet crime crackdown

HA NOI (VNS)— Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday instructed authorities to launch a campaign to combat crime and assure social security before, during and after the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival.

Speaking at a conference to review crime prevention work, Phuc, who is also head of the Steering Committee on the National Programme for Crime Prevention, said that although the rise in crime was still under control, the situation remained complicated, with new challenges including loansharking and murders targeting children.

Reports from the steering committee showed that in 2012, police investigated more than 37,000 serious crimes and broke up 6.22 per cent more criminal gangs than last year.

More than 11,000 economic crimes and 18,000 drug-related crimes were uncovered, and over 9,000 criminals were arrested.

But Phuc said co-ordination between committees and governments at all levels had not been effective enough and the implementation of crime prevention was not comprehensive.

He asked committee members to increase their responsibilities in all fields, complete policies to encourage and reward good people, and establish a fund for crime prevention.

Phuc also asked the Ministry of Public Security to launch campaigns to combat dangerous criminal activity involving the economy, corruption and drugs.

At the conference, committee members said that authorised agencies should pay more attention on measures to collect assets from economic crimes and suggest amendments to the Penal Code to punish criminal acts of manipulating banks. — VNS