Ho Chi Minh City police is cracking down on crimes as the Lunar New Year approaches, according to the chief of the municipal police’s Staff Office Nguyen Si Quang.

At a press conference on December 29 to review the combat of crime in the city in 2014 and plans for the next period, the officer said the crackdown will focus on criminal organisations, burglars and robbers, smugglers, traders of banned goods such as drug and firecracker.

A host of measures to ensure public order and traffic safety will be deployed, he added.

Reports reveal that the municipal police brought to light as many as 4,248 criminal cases in 2014, destroying 879 criminal gangs and arresting about 2,142 criminals.-VNA