SHENZHEN police denied forcing people to leave the city because they were suspected of being public security risks, saying it was not against any law to sort out this group of people and no human rights were violated.
Last week s media reports quoted Shen Shaobao, a spokesman and vice director of the city s public security bureau, as saying that more than 80,000 high-risk people have left Shenzhen since city police launched a 100-day crackdown on criminal activities in January. The reports sparked heated debate.
The police said they had not forced anyone to leave or repatriated anyone. The 80,000 high-risk people had left Shenzhen of their own accord, yesterday s People s Daily reported.
The paper said the police have also helped several mental patients return home to live with their families.
All the investigations were opened to public scrutiny, such as routine checks of hotels, Internet bars and urban villages. The action did not contravene the Constitution nor violate human rights. Police would continue to take action for a better and safer living environment, said Shen.
He said the high-risk people referred to those who had no legal reasons to stay in Shenzhen permanently and had suspicious means of living. It also included those who lived by forcing children to beg or steal on the street, according to Shen.
Criminal activities, such as organizing children beggars, prostitution, burglary, robbery, telephone fraud and drug dealing, were common in Shenzhen and investigations showed that most offenders were high-risk people, Shen said.
Police in many countries had similar routine work because it is a common way to ensure a safe society, said Huang Fayu, vice president of the Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences. (Wang Yuanyuan)
