Police have launched a crackdown on illegal explosives in Beijing in a run-up to the national congress of the Communist Party of China slated for mid-October.

Police would comb areas with concentrations of small illegal collieries, rented and abandoned houses and underground markets with explosive detection devices and sniffer dogs, said Tang Yunli, deputy chief of the social security administration department of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The campaign started in Malan village, Mentougou District, where police confiscated more than 500 grams of black powder and dozens of fireworks from villagers' homes on Wednesday morning.

The village is surrounded by hundreds of illegal small coal mines, all of which have been shut down.

The confiscations would prevent mine owners from storing explosives privately and resuming coal production, the bureau said.

"As the next step, the capital police will carry out a thorough inspection in areas that have illegal explosive production, trade and storage problems to ensure the security of the 17th National Congress of the CPC," said Tang.

The campaign will last until the end of next month.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2007)