Konjo county in Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region effectively used WeChat groups to motivate residents to help crack down on gang crimes, amid a nationwide tendency to use the advantages of social media to fight crimes.

Experts said that using social media will not only help authorities gather evidence but will also make it convenient for residents to report tips.

Since the beginning of the year, Konjo authorities have gathered more than 2,000 messages through WeChat groups of local villages and neighborhood committees, the Tibet Daily reported on Monday.

The WeChat groups were established as part of the county authorities' efforts to urge residents to stay away from gangs and illegal organizations, the Tibet Daily reported.

Some gangs in the Tibetan region have colluded with the Dalai clique, serving as a base to help the clique spread separatism and create separatist incidents, Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's top political advisory body, told the Global Times on Monday.

"The Dalai clique is very good at using modern communications channels, including WeChat, to spread separatism," Zhu noted.

Members of these groups are local residents. Resident representatives have been selected and are required to report at least one message a day during certain period of time.

Local authorities will confirm these messages and reward the reporters according to the messages' authenticity, timeliness and value.

The Tibet Daily report did not mention how many people have been rewarded so far or how much the rewards were.

Other Chinese cities and regions, including Hefei, East China's Anhui Province, and Yinzhou district of Ningbo, have also reportedly used WeChat groups to crack down on gang crimes.