Chinese police are launching an all-out campaign to prevent crime at the nation's schools, which have claimed 43 over the last 18 months.

On Friday, the ministry announced that it had received 200 reports of serious campus crimes including 103 involving homocide, kidnapping, and rape in 2005 and the first half of 2006. The crimes resulted in 43 deaths.

"All school robbery cases, no matter how small amount of money is involved should be investigated as quickly as possible," said a brief report from the Ministry of Public Security, quoting vice minister Liu Jinguo at a televised police workshop.

Liu ordered local police to increase manpower in investigating campus crime cases, hoping to solve by the end of the year "a handful of" prominent cases that resulted in deaths.

"Police should especially bust gangs and hooligans that hang around the campus and causing trouble," Liu said. "We should not go soft on these gangs."

He also asked local police to shut down unlicensed Internet cafes around campus and ensure that people under 18 are kept away from these venues.

More than 50 percent of the reported student deaths were caused by student conflicts and many were the result of knife fights.

The ministry has stationed over 102,000 police on and around campuses across the country. But Liu said more police presence was needed, especially in the countryside.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2006)