Reports of economic crimes rapidly increased in 2012 during a six-month campaign by Chinese public security authorities, an analysis shows.

From March to August last year, police cracked about 229,000 cases, more than twice the number in 2011, and recovered economic losses of 54.5 billion yuan ($8.7 billion), according to a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, 53,558 people were arrested for damaging the Chinese economy between January and October 2012, a 59.4 percent year-on-year increase.

Illegal fundraising, illegally seizing public deposits and organized pyramid schemes were the main crimes and happened in areas such as telecommunications, tourism and financing, said the report.

Meanwhile, crimes involving food and medicines in 2012 were serious and began extending to suburban areas, according to the report.

In addition, production and sale of counterfeit items were still rising, the report said.

Police from China and the United States broke a large gang infringing on other countries' intellectual property rights last year, confiscating more than 20,000 fake famous-brand bags involving around 5 billion yuan.

- Cao Yin

(China Daily 04/02/2013 page5)