The Ministry of Public Security said it would provide Ho Chi Minh City with one or two regiments of mobile police to help the city strengthen forces to fight crime.

>> HCMC to mobilize forces to crack down on crime>> Street robberies rise dramatically in HCMC>> Woman’s arm chopped off by thieves Deputy Minister of Public Security Pham Quy Ngo made the statement at yesterday’s meeting between the city authorities and a high-ranking working group led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Speaking at the meeting, which focused on the city’s order and security situation, Ngo said the Government wanted to help the city improve the criminal situation that tended to become more serious than before. Therefore, the ministry will send one or two regiments of mobile police to the city to help it boost the fight against crime, Ngo said. Ngo also asked the city police to strengthen forces in districts and to organize conferences with its neighboring provinces to discuss measures to boost cooperation in fighting crime. Deputy PM Phuc agreed with Ngo about reinforcing the city’s mobile police and said he wanted the city to mobilize all possible forces to combat crime and ensure the peaceful life for people.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at a meeting with HCMC authorities on December 14 (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Le Minh Tri, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, reported to the working group that more than 10,000 criminal cases accrued in the city in the past 2 years, killing 312 people, injuring 1,049 others and making a total loss in property estimated at VND82 billion (US$3.93 million). The number of criminal cases has reduced by 16.36 percent from the previous two years, but since 2012 criminal gangs’ activities have become more daring, more brutal and more complicated, Tri said. Most of the criminals arrested recently were young people and they had fiercely resisted police or others who chased them, Tri said. According to statistics, more than 50 percent of these criminals were drug abusers, Tri added.