Underworld groups, collaborators among police now in crosshairs

Chinese law enforcement will enhance efforts to smash criminal gangs and crack down on fellow police officers who protect wrongdoers, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

"We will focus on uncovering complex organized crime organizations that sometimes have deeply rooted foundations and enjoy strong financial support," said Zeng Haiyan, a senior official at the ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau.

She said police officers have been thoroughly investigating relationships between networks and their "protective umbrellas" within law enforcement in an attempt to root out mafia-like activity from society and help create a safe and stable environment for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on Oct 1.

Last year, police uncovered 1,292 criminal organizations, the ministry said.

In 2018, authorities seized 851 guns and confiscated or froze 62.1 billion yuan ($9.21 billion) in funds. The number of criminal cases nationwide dropped by 7.7 percent, and eight of the most serious felonies－including murder, kidnapping and rape－declined by 13.8 percent.

Beginning in January 2018, Chinese judicial authorities launched a three-year special operation targeting organized crime and individual felonious behavior.

Tong Bishan, an officer from the ministry's Criminal Investigation Bureau, said the bureau directly supervised 48 major investigations of criminal gangs last year, resulting in 20 prosecutions.

The ministry sent dozens of special investigation teams abroad in 2018, including to Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, to hunt down fugitives. A large number of suspects have since been repatriated to face justice, Tong said.

He added that criminal gangs have expanded from traditional activities such as pornography, gambling and drug trafficking to new sectors, including transportation, finance and internet fraud.

Moreover, some major mafia-like groups and other felons increasingly use illicit means to obtain millions of yuan in assets, and then use some of their illegally gained earnings to bribe judicial officers to cover up their crimes.

"Gang members pretend to manage legitimate companies and use threats and harassment to provide usurious loans to victims, and these deceptive practices make it more difficult for us to detect," Tong said.

In one case in October, police in Henan province arrested 126 gang suspects. In the case, authorities confiscated 11 vehicles and 10 properties worth around 34.8 million yuan.

In the case, the suspects had offered loans to university students under the guise of operating an online shopping platform, then charged them high interest. They swindled over 10,000 students across 31 provinces and regions.

Guo Qiang, the ministry's press officer, said police will pay more attention to fighting major organized crime syndicates that have the biggest impact on the public, and will focus in particular on gangs that most hinder economic development and disturb market order.