The police at Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) announced a successful first month in their seven-month crackdown on offences at the airport.

Major efforts have been devoted to cracking down on luggage theft in the terminal towers, aircraft and shuttle buses and to ensure the safety of passengers.

Police caught a gang of four and recovered more than 10 stolen items including cellphones, digital cameras, watches and valuable paintings, cigarettes and wines. A suspect, who was accused of theft on an aircraft, was also arrested.

"The action aims at ensuring a safe airport for domestic and international passengers," said Liu Li, a press official with the BCIA Police Office.

After analyzing the character of different areas in the terminals, BCIA police established a system that combined foot patrols, electronic cart patrols and CCTV monitoring, which covered every corner of the airport.

Police said that with the help of CCTV in the airport they targeted a suspect after a passenger reported the loss of a handbag containing a computer and a digital camera. After a comprehensive analysis of the suspect's behavior, plainclothes policemen hid in the key areas and caught the suspect, surnamed Liu, on July 4, when he tried to steal a westerner's handbag.

The suspect, who police said had admitted another two thefts, was detained.

Training for the crackdown focused on distinguishing prohibited articles and guarding against baggage theft, as well as handling other common crimes, such as telephone and short message frauds, disrupting public order, violation of property and assault on airport staff.

The police also undertook a joint operation with local industry and commercial officers, to check all the retail outlets, hotels, hair salons and warehouses in the airport and against illegal parking and unlicensed vendors.