Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong has threatened to strip district leaders of their titles if crime rates in the areas under their management do not fall.

A conference on the security situation in the southern city was chaired on Monday by Phong, with leaders of all 24 districts and the Department of Police in attendance.

If there are still complaints about security and criminal activities from residents of any districts in Ho Chi Minh City, leaders of those areas must take responsibility or they will be replaced, Chairman Phong asserted.

Regulations stating the responsibility of city leaders have been established, Chairman Phong said, adding that those who fail to fulfill their duty have not been rebuked in a stern and assertive enough manner so far.

As the objective has been set to reduce the crime rate across the entire city, each district's chairperson will take responsibility if the goals are not achieved.

“I will personally report local leaders, who do not complete their mission or are found abetting criminal activities, to the municipal Party Standing Committee,” the chairman said.

He also ordered local leaders not to make false reports, adding that any difficulties or shortcomings should be candidly presented and addressed.

Agreeing with the opinion, Major General Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, asserted that those who make untrue reports and deceive their superiors should be transferred and replaced by more qualified people.

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong (R) speaks at the conference on March 1, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The number of criminal offenses in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015 decreased by 5.9 percent compared to that of the previous year, Lieutenant General Le Dong Phong, director of the Department of Police, reported at the conference. 

However, the ratio of violations related to property appropriation is still considerably high, accounting for 84.8 percent, while those regarding drugs, homicide, and assault have become more serious and complicated, Lt. Gen. Phong continued.

To cope with the issues, Maj. Gen. Minh said that they were trying to double the number of officers in the criminal task force.

Certain individuals in the city, considered dangerous and of high criminal threat, should be closely monitored to prevent actual offenses from happening, according to Maj. Gen. Minh.

He added that local leaders as well as police officers have to be determined in the fight against crime and must not blame citizens for their lack of awareness and management over their own property.

“We cannot say that robberies happen because the people are absent from home. I do not accept that excuse. People have to leave their home every day to earn a living,” Maj. Gen. Minh elaborated.

In addition, Chairman Phong reminded police officers to carry out investigations and arrests thoroughly and in accordance with the law, avoiding ruling out known criminals or issuing wrongful convictions.

Major General Phan Anh Minh, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, speaks at the conference on March 1, 2016. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Speaking at the meeting, Tran The Thuan, chairman of the People’s Committee in District 1, said that the committee would install camera systems in vulnerable residential areas in four out of six wards of the district, and establish a specialized center to analyze information extracted from the cameras.

Police stations in each ward will also be equipped with high-capacity motorcycles, dashboard cameras, and other modern devices to facilitate the fight against crime, according to Thuan.

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