BEIJING, Jan. 13 -- Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun on Monday told police to act tough on violent terrorist attacks and safeguard national security.

Heads of provincial and municipal police gathered in Beijing for an annual conference on this year's police work.

"Police departments across the country should be firm (in fighting terrorist attacks)," Guo said at the conference.

Last year, several terrorists attacks happened in China. In October, a jeep crashed into a guardrail of Jinshui Bridge across the moat of the Forbidden City in Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, in which five were killed and 40 others injured. The East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a radical Islamist group identified by the United Nations as a terrorist group, later claimed responsibility.

In June, rioters killed 24 people at Lukqun Township in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

A number of violent incidents also happened last year. In June, an arson on a crowded bus in Xiamen City of east China's Fujian Province killed 47, including the suspected arsonist, and injured 34 others.

In July, a man set off a home-made explosive at Beijing Capital International Airport, injuring himself.

Police will try to be innovative in social governance to better curb and prevent violence and other crimes, Guo said.

Police should not only be tough on crime but also improve prevention and monitoring, he said.

Police departments will reform the management of household registration, or hukou, step by step, he said.

Police will also better discipline their officers so that they follow legal protocols, he added.