BEIJING, July 8 (UPI) -- China's top cop, preparing for the 60th anniversary of the country's Communist rule, has asked authorities to crack down on criminal groups.
The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 is observed on Oct. 1 and this year marks the 60th anniversary of the event.
Meng Jianzhu, a Cabinet minister in charge the country's public security, during a teleconference Tuesday asked authorities to be pro-active in their actions against Mafia-type groups, Xinhua reported. He asked police to monitor the movements of gangster groups.
The warning comes as the country convulses under ethnic violence in northwest Xingiang-Uighur region between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese.
Meng said gangster groups' illegal activities are quite active as China makes its social and economic transformation, Xinhua said. He said police should cut off their links so they don't infiltrate into police ranks.
He said police forces should prevent Communist Party and government officials from being corrupted by underworld groups, who also must not be allowed to manipulate grassroots elections and political issues through violence, threats and bribery.
