Computer and Internet technology have greatly helped the Chinese police's latest campaign to catch suspects at large and escaped criminals, officials of the Ministry of Public Security said on November 22 at a conference.

The success of the three-month campaign should also be attributed to the efforts of the central government and police organizations, said Jia Chunwang, minister of public security.

According to statistics, more than 230,000 fugitives were seized during the nationwide campaign that started in early July.

Information on the 170,000 fugitives was inputted into web-based databases or CD-ROMs.

The technology helped police identify suspects at large and escaped criminals, and promoted information exchanges between police departments in different provinces.

Bai Jingfu, vice-minister of public security, said that during the three-month campaign, 173,000 criminal cases were cracked and 210 million yuan (US$25.4 million) of illicit money was confiscated.

According to Bai, the campaign reduced the number of criminal cases and improved public order.

(China Daily)