CHINA – Shanghai police have detained more than 6,000 people in a crackdown leading up to the opening of the Shanghai World Expo in what officials say is an effort to make the streets safe for visitors.
In a 12-day campaign from 3 to 14 April, over 30,000 officers made about 900 raids and brought in 6,402 people. Charges ranged from prostitution and the sale of pornographic material to theft and loitering.
Of everyone brought in, 429 are now being detained for up to a month, and may face formal arrest and prosecution. Also, 852 people are under administrative detention facing a 15-day term of imprisonment.
According to a statement from the Shanghai public security bureau, other have been released after being ‘educated’.
Opening on 1 May, Shanghai’s World Expo will run for six months and is expected to draw around 100m visitors, 95 per cent of whom is expected to be Chinese.
