Thieves that rob and steal near Guangzhou University of Sports do so in fear not only of local police, but also students from the university.

To fight growing crime, a special security team was formed two months ago by volunteer students.

So far, they have captured seven suspects in Guangzhou's Shuiyin and Dadaozhong roads, where the campus is located.

Most of the suspects were ambushed and caught on site by students near local bus stops or crossroads. They were later sent to police.

The largest incident attracted more than 20 student participants, according to Fang Xiaosheng, a student from Guangzhou University of Sports.

"And more than 40 students have joined our group," he told China Daily yesterday.

The latest action took place on Friday, when 10 students successfully captured a suspect as he ran away after robbing a taxi driver.

"Actually, we have studied the suspects' patterns, and have mapped out an effective scheme," said Fang, who majors in athletics.

Fang's group was set up early this year when an increasing number of robbery cases were reported near the university, one of the city's busy areas.

Most of the students have learned martial arts in the university.

"We spontaneously organized our group because we cannot stand still while the thieves run wild in the area," Fang said.

The students' behaviour has caused debate among local people.

Chen Guochang, a local resident, said the students' behaviour is a sign that Cantonese people are concerned by more than just making money and having fun. They care about other people's welfare.

"The Cantonese people have not lost their sense of justice," Chen said.

While praising the students' efforts, a teacher at the university, who asked not to be named, said that the university did not encourage the students to fight crime outside the campus.

According to statistics released by Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security, Guangdong fought a total of 85,438 criminal cases in September and August.

Most of the cases were street robberies in major cities.

The southern province has China's largest police force, with 130,000 officers, nearly 10 percent of the country's total. Guangdong, which is enjoying sustainable economic growth, has in the past suffered from the highest occurrence of criminal cases, especially robbery-related cases.

Last year alone, Guangdong police placed 514,407 criminal cases on file for investigation. Of them, 455,690 were stealing and robbery cases.

(China Daily November 1, 2005)