Drivers and passengers are being urged to take special precautions at highway service centers in Guangdong province, where police say robberies and thefts are an ongoing problem.

A growing number of thefts have been reported in recent months at the centers for food and refueling in the southern province that borders Hong Kong and Macao, said Ruan Fucheng, deputy director of the key criminal case section under Guangdong's provincial Department of Public Security.

"The robberies at highway service centers in Guangdong usually involve large amounts of money and property and have posed big threats to residents," Ruan said on Thursday.