Improving public safety and security in Shenzhen was a hot topic at the annual session of the Third Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the CPPCC on Monday (Feb. 23).

These suggestions include building up a police reporting and public information system and the owners of rental houses being held responsible for tenants' illegal activities.

It was also suggested that the use of high technology be promoted in the public security system and residents be encouraged to apply high-tech means to deter home thieves and also for self defense. Another suggestion was to stagger working hours for frontline policemen.

In recent years, about 95 percent of criminal cases in the city involved the migrant population and more than 30 percent of cases involved rental houses. The security problem was even worse in Bao'an District, where the migrant population was 14.6 times the permanent population. More than 97 percent of criminal cases in the district involved the migrant population.

Many local CPPCC members also called for an increase in police numbers as well as attention being paid to the physical and psychological health of police.

They said Shenzhen now had a total population of almost 10 million but the police force accounted for only 0.13 percent of the population, far below the standard of 0.5 percent set by the Ministry of Public Security. The police force in Bao'an was only 0.034 percent of the district population.

The lack of police had resulted in chronic health problems from overwork while risks to their health - sometimes their lives - frequently occurred while on duty. The police force now numbered about 12,000 in the city but the required number should be 23,000.

Some police had serious psychological problems due to inevitable contacts with criminal elements. A recent medical check of the city's policemen showed that 73.6 percent of those aged between 25 and 45 had health problems.

Editor: Donald