China reported 923,000 criminal cases in the first quarter, an
increase of 14.2 percent over the same period last year.
The figures, released Wednesday by the Ministry of Public
Security (MPS), revealed a 23.4 percent drop in bombing crimes in
the period, while arsons and rapes fell by 6.6 percent and 7.9
percent respectively.
Murder cases basically remained the same as last year, according
to the statistics.
During the period, China saw 639,000 theft cases, up 17.1
percent year-on-year, and robberies also rose by 8.6 percent to
74,000.
Meanwhile, police cracked 285,000 criminal cases from January to
March, 1.6 percent higher than the previous year, and dealt with
979,000 minor infringements, which were down by 11.3 percent.
The MPS said that it has launched a special move to investigate
homicide cases across the country since February this year in a bid
to crack down on major violent crimes, including cases of
murdering, bombing, poisoning, arson, abducting, robbery and
rape-murdering.
A number of such cases have been cracked and a group of suspects
have been captured after the campaign was started, the MPS said,
citing college student slayer Ma Jiajue as an example.
Ma, 24, from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was accused
of killing four fellow students in the Yunnan University from
Feb.13 to 15, 2004.
Bodies of the four victims were found in a dormitory in the
university on Feb. 23, all with deadly injuries consistent with a
blunt metal object.
Ma was later listed as chief suspect by the MPS, which offered a
200,000 yuan (US$24,300) reward to people providing information or
clues leading to his apprehension.
He was captured on March 15 in southern China's island province
of Hainan and was sent back to Yunnan two days later.
Ma was given a death sentence for the crime of murder at the
first trial of the Kunming Intermediate People's Court, held on
April 24 in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
Ma was also deprived of his political rights for life for
killing four fellow college students.
(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2004)