Police collect data for chip-based citizen identity cards in HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Monday applauded the Ministry of Public Security for its efforts in fighting crime and ensuring safety for major national events in the first half of this year.

Speaking at a meeting to review the ministry’s performance, Phúc said that during the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fierce resistance of reactionary forces, the Ministry of Public Security made great efforts and co-operation with other forces like the army, local authorities and Việt Nam Fatherland Front to ensure security for big national events including the 13th Party Congress, the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils for the 2021-2026 term.

“I’m so proud that the police force reached security hot spots to settle long lasting complicated issues,” Phúc said.

“The current situation could change rapidly, which requires that the public security force promptly review and evaluate the results of all aspects of its work from the beginning of 2021 comprehensively, fully and deeply and then forecast the development trend of the situation to successfully achieve goals and fulfil tasks in 2021 and beyond,” Phúc said.

General Tô Lâm, Minister of Public Security said that the meeting was taken place when Việt Nam was making efforts to successfully implement the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party and the five-year socio-economic development plan 2021-2025, and the 10-year socio-economic development strategy 2021-2030.

Moreover, the whole of Việt Nam’s political system, Party, people and army were trying their best to achieve the twin goals – disease prevention and control and maintaining socio-economic development.

Lieutenant-General Lương Tam Quang, deputy minister of public security, reported that in the first six months of this year, the police force controlled crime, ensured social security and political stability, particularly during big national events.

The police also had systematic and comprehensive disease prevention and control measures as well as helped curb the spread of COVID-19 among the community.

“The police is among forces working on the frontline in COVID-19 prevention and control, particularly in tracing suspected COVID-19 cases, controlling the border crossing and actively preventing crimes that made use of the disease's complicated development to emerge,” Quang said.

It was reported that the first half of this year saw a 3.61 per cent fall in crime compared to the same period last year in Việt Nam.

Police investigated more than 15,400 cases relating to social order and busted 847 criminal gangs. Police also launched criminal procedures in 12,000 cases and over 17,600 people involved in drug crimes, seizing 299.4kg of heroin and nearly 1,162kg of synthetic drugs, 1 million meth tablets and over 834kg of marijuana.

As of June 16, police across the country received more than 53.8 million applications for new chip-based identity cards, 7.8 per cent higher than planned. — VNS