More than 200,000 yuan (US$29,280) has been doled out to informants with tips about criminal activity in just over a month.

The rewards were green-lighted in mid-July by the government of Shenzhen, which normally requests the fiscal department to allocate a fund of 5 million yuan each year for tips.

An informer can be awarded, once a case is solved, from a minimum of 200 yuan up to 20,000 yuan, depending on the seriousness of the case.

There is no monetary limit for extraordinary cases.

According to the city's public security bureau, it has received more than 2,000 tips from residents since they began awarding tips. According to the bureau, the tips helped police solve at least 70 cases, including murder and robbery, and crack down on 20-plus underground headquarters for gambling, pornography and drug trafficking.

As a result, more than 60 criminal suspects were arrested while informers received a total of 200,000 yuan.

Although authorities did not say how many informants were awarded last year, a press official told China Daily yesterday the scheme has attracted more people to come forward with information.

Security is a top concern for local residents, who have been threatened by frequent robbery and theft on the streets, police said.

While the local government attributed the rise in crime to the city's unique geography, which links the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong and becomes a major passage for both international and domestic criminal groups, local residents always complain about the local police's ineffectiveness.

The latest official figures, however, show improvements in crime fighting due to escalating anti-crime campaigns and wider participation of the local residents in building up safety networks in communities.

Shen Shaobao, deputy director of the security bureau, said in a recent press conference that the award policy would effectively reduce crimes and increase the sense of safety of the local residents.

(China Daily September 1, 2009)