Coronavirus outbreak: Chinese police handle 22,000 epidemic-related criminal cases

Public security authorities across China have handled around 22,000 criminal cases related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as of Monday, a media report quoted the Ministry of Public Security. A total of 4,260 suspects implicated in the cases have been detained, Vice Minister Du Hongwei was quoted by Xinhua as saying at a press conference on Wednesday.

So far, police have cracked 688 cases involving the production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy protective materials, with more than 1,560 suspects apprehended and over 31 million fake or inferior face masks seized, Du said.

A total of 49 police officers and auxiliary police officers across the country sacrificed their lives while on duty during the epidemic outbreak, said Du.

He added that public security agencies will continue to crack down on crimes, including interfering with transportation and logistics, price gouging and disrupting the production order.

Du also urged police officers to avoid violence in enforcing laws and carry out investigations in strict accordance with the law.

Police officers should crackdown on illegal activities severely hindering epidemic control or business resumption while educating those involved in minor cases, Du added.

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