Police swoop on Pearl River robbery gangs

Police in Guangdong province have conducted raids on 12 criminal gangs suspected of robbing from boats in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong province.

Zhang Shaoxin, an official at the Guangdong public security department, said that 127 suspects have been detained after police cracked 67 criminal cases involving robbery against vessels in the Pearl River network.

Police started a campaign targeting criminal gangs operating on the Pearl River network in January and concluded operations at the end of November.

“The campaign has dealt a heavy blow to the river crimes that used to be active in the southern province, which has an advanced river network,” Zhang said at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

The campaign made use of 24,528 police officers and 2,557 police boats to help fight river-based robbery, which has been on the rise in recent months, disrupting the normal operation of the province's river transportation system, he said.

Most cases have occurred in the cities of Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Foshan and Zhuhai.

In addition to the cargoes on board, the gangs have stolen diesel oil, mobile phones and other property belonging to the boats' crews, Zhang said.

Zhang hinted that more special campaigns and operations will be organized in the coming months.

Meanwhile, police will expand their cooperation with marine departments, harbors, and vessel associations in the fight against crimes on the river network, Zhang said.

He also urged residents and sailors to inform the police of any criminal activities taking place.