China Readies for Crackdown on Organized Crime

As the economy slows, organized crime is on the rise in China, AP reports:

The Ministry of Public Security is creating a new division that will focus on gang-related crimes such as organized prostitution, gambling, drug production and trafficking, the official China Daily quoted a senior ministry official as saying.

[...] Security officials will also keep a close eye on possible crimes stemming from unemployment amid the ongoing financial downturn, the report said.

Liang Huaren, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, was quoted as saying that the large numbers of laid-off migrant workers as well as the widening gap between rich and poor has helped fuel an increase in gang-related crimes.