Hangzhou tops the list in an investigation on "safety index" among 37 cities in China, including Hong Kong and Macao.

 

 

The information was announced by the Hangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau in a news release held last Friday.

 

An opinion poll carried out by the Hangzhou Office on Public Opinion Poll in November 2006 also showed that over 95% of Hangzhou residents felt safe living in Hangzhou.

 

In 2006, the number of criminal cases decreased and severity of criminal cases also became less serious. The number of filed criminal cases dropped by 1.38% compared with the year before and the five major criminal cases -- rape, kidnap, arson, bombing and hijack -- had declined by nearly 14 percentage points. The number of property criminal offences, such as robbery, fraud, and burglary, had also declined to some extent.

 

In addition, the Public Security Bureau cracked 25,000 criminal cases last year, increasing by 20% from the previous year. The rate of success in clearing up a case was raised by 6 percentage points. In 2006, some 5,952 traffic accidents occurred in the city, declining by 24% from the previous year and the number of deaths in traffic accidents decreased by 108. In addition, some 1,708 fires broke out in the city, with the number decreasing by 35%.

 

(Chinanews January 9, 2007)