Police in Guangdong Province will launch a concerted crackdown on robberies in eight cities after a surge in the crime rate this summer.

At a conference ending Saturday in Shenzhen, police officials from the provincial public security bureau and the eight cities decided to introduce tough measures against robberies in the run-up to the Oct. 1 National Day and the Spring Festival.

The number of criminal cases in Shenzhen surged 16 percent and 24 percent each month in July and August, according to Shenzhen police.

The number of robberies accounted for about 30 percent of the total crime in these cities.

In Guangzhou, the number for the January-August period surged 12.7 percent over the same period last year. The number of robberies using motorbikes accounted for nearly half the total.

Police said the higher crime rate this summer in the eight Pearl River Delta cities was partly triggered by bigger passenger and cargo flows after the SARS outbreak was declared contained.

The number of robberies between January and May showed a decline in the eight cities, including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Huizhou and Zhuhai, but surged from June to August.

At the conference, top local police officers decided to enhance patrols in robbery-prone areas during the run-up to the National Day "Golden Week."

Police plan to target criminal gangs and effectively bring down the number of robberies from the end of the National Day to the Spring Festival.

They will also monitor the used mobile phone and jewelry markets where robbers dispose of their booty.

(Shenzhen Daily September 15, 2003)