The number of recorded crimes in Shaanxi Province fell by more than 5 percent in the second half of last year, the Shaanxi provincial public security bureau has said.

Zhu Lansheng, deputy director of the bureau's security branch, said a campaign launched in June to crack down on theft and robbery - the results of which were published at the start of this year - led to a significant decrease in the amount of reported crime, compared with the first half of the year.

Also, based on the results of a poll conducted by the bureau, local people feel safer in their communities than they used to. The public security satisfaction rate for the province rose to 89 percent in 2007, up from 68 percent in 2001.

The results come as good news for local security authorities, following several years of rising crime.

Between 2004 and 2006, crime in the province rose by more than 17 percent.

One case that drew considerable public attention last year was the murder of a businessman who had tried to rescue a woman from being robbed in downtown Xi'an.

The three assailants were later arrested.

Li Chao, who has worked as a taxi driver in the city for the past 10 years, said: "I remember the case and was horrified to believe people would commit murder in a busy street.

"Overall, though, I think the security situation is getting better. Ten years ago, I was too scared to drive my taxi alone at night, but now all the drivers work alone."

Song Hongwu, a top official in charge of public security, said: "From the recently issued statistics, we can see that people do feel safer, but the memories of past crimes remain.

(China Daily January 15, 2008)