Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) promised yesterday to strengthen efforts to eliminate telephone fraud and track down fraud gangs, wherever they are based.
Speaking in a radio interview, Jiang said some phone fraud gangs were believed to have relocated or were planning to relocate their operating bases from China to Southeast Asian countries after a cross-strait agreement on joint cooperation in fighting crime took effect last year.
“No matter where they flee, we will track down them,” Jiang said. “We will not let them build a firm foothold anywhere.”
Since the cooperation pact came into effect more than six months ago, Taiwanese and Chinese law enforcement authorities have forged a viable cooperative mechanism under which 11 notorious telephone fraud gangs have been busted and 271 suspects arrested, Jiang said.
“The number of scam phone calls has declined significantly and a Southeast Asia-bound relocation trend is arising among the fraud gangs,” Jiang said.
Over the past year, Jiang said the government had fought hard to combat the problem.
The Ministry of the Interior has been operating a “165” anti-fraud phone line and has joined forces with the National Communications Commission and the Financial Supervisory Commission to form a cross-agency coordination platform to improve operational efficiency, he said.
The ministry’s top priorities are maintaining public order and improving welfare services, Jiang said, as these are closely related to people’s daily lives.
“I have prioritized resolving practical problems and strengthening what we have already achieved,” Jiang said.
Jiang said he had also attached great importance to enhancing the discipline, image and integrity of the police force since taking office in September.
“As police services involve personal interaction, police officers should deal with their work with sincerity, from the heart, otherwise their efforts will be in vain,” Jiang said.
Jiang said the annual crime-fighting drive ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the “Spring public order campaign,” would begin on Feb. 5 and run until March 1.
During that period, police officers will focus on maintaining traffic flow and safety at public places and on preventing criminal rings from tempting youngsters into a life of crime during the winter vacation.
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