At the ongoing session of the HCMC People’s Council, many deputies voiced their concerns about the increased number of criminal cases, which has caused worry for the public and affected the quality of life of people.

Ngo Minh Chau, deputy director of the city Police Department, reported that more than 3,000 criminal cases have occurred in the city in the first half of this year, up over 7 percent from a year earlier, although many mesures have been taken to prevent crimes. Compared with the same period last year, robbery cases increased by 2.55 percent to 603 cases, theft cases soared by 11 percent to 1,623 cases, and swindles to appropriate assets rose by 10 percent to 166 cases, Chau said. However, the number of serious criminal cases, like murder, has declined in the first half of the year, Chau said. Lam Dinh Chien, chief of the HCM City Inspectorate, requested that the police elaborate the 7 percent increase in criminal cases to let everyone know what specific crimes accounted for the increase.  Deputy Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh asked that the city People’s Committee should take concrete and effective measures to combat crime. Thi Thi Tuyet Nhung pointed out that many police units are struggling with a lack of facilities and means of transport to do their duties. “For example, during a survey in Binh Chanh District we found that some communes are located as far as 20-30 km from a police station. Meanwhile, many police forces have no vehicles to escort criminals, so they have to hire vehicles to transport criminals at a total cost of about VND500 million (US$24,000) per year,” Nhung said. “Why have these police units not been equipped with necessary facilities?” she asked.Increased immigration blamed One of the reasons for the increased criminal situation is that the number of people immigrating into the city has been on the rise, at a rate of about 230,000 people per year, Chau said. Along with such a large immigration wave, the case of criminal offenses has increased, since among these immigrants are criminals or thugs who fled from other places, he explained. Difficulties in doing business has caused many companies to shut down or halt operations, resulting in an increase in the unemployed, some of whom have engaged in offences, including robbery, theft and prostitution, he said. Le Hong Son, director of the Department of Education and Training, suggested that city authorities tighten control over immigrants as a way to prevent crime. “We have respect for the right to live and to make a living, but the government should strengthen control over immigration to reduce the effects of immigrants on the city’s order and security,” Son said.