Minister of Public Security, Meng Jianzhu, said on Monday the fight against Mafia-style gangs would be a "lasting task" as such gangs remain active in the country.

"Although the crackdown on gang-related crimes has improved social order and increased the people's sense of security, it must be intensified as gangs are still active," Meng told a national televised meeting.

Officials at the meeting said there would be no mercy for those corrupt government officials who offer these gangs "protection umbrellas".

Official figures released at the meeting showed that police solved 874 Mafia-style gang crimes and eliminated 9,662 criminal gangs since a crackdown was launched in 2006. Nearly 60,000 suspects had so far been arrested.

Figures from the Supreme People's Court showed that courts across the country dealt with 337 gang crimes last year, up 161 percent year-on-year. More than 6,000 criminals received penalties in 2006 and last year.

Serious crimes including murder, robbery and wounding were all down about 4 percent over the two years.

The gang-related case to appear in the media occurred on April 10 in Chongqing municipality. Nineteen people received penalties for murder, drug trafficking, robbery, illegally possessing guns, bribing police officers, and other crimes. The media reported that even children would stop crying when hearing the name of the gang's leader Wang Xingping, who was sentenced to death.

Vice-minister of supervision, Wang Wei, also urged discipline supervisors at all levels to keep a close eye on officials who might get involved in such crimes.

"Under such a crackdown, gangs often seek protection from government officials by every possible means," Wang said.

"We must be vigilant. If found to be true, there should be no mercy for those officials, especially government leaders."

Liang Huaren, a criminal law professor with the China University of Political Science and Law, said tremendous economic and social changes that the country is going through is behind these gang crimes. The large number of laid-off workers and migrants, as well as the widening gap between the rich and poor, are also reasons.

Currently, gangs in the country are usually involved in organized prostitution, gambling, drugs production and trafficking. Construction, transportation and mining sectors are also high-risk areas. police sources said.

(China Daily May 7, 2008)