Rising crime on school and university grounds, including the murder of a 9-year-old girl, has set alarm bells ringing in Guangdong Province.

In the past three months, Guangdong police have investigated and solved 594 crimes committed at schools or universities, Guangdong's public security bureau revealed yesterday.

Of those cases, 145 were criminal with the rest related to disturbances of the peace.

Zhang Xiaoyun, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security, urged the setting up of a task force to deal with campus crime.

At a work conference on Friday, Zhang also called for police departments and substations near schools and universities to step up their efforts.

Police patrols should be increased around campuses, he said.

Before the end of the year, all universities and schools in the province will have to recruit a deputy master or president of legal affairs who will have the job of ensuring students abide by the law.

Guangdong police have opened 1,789 public security kiosks around university and school campuses since June.

A total of 2,077 new school security guards have also been recruited.

School grounds are not so safe as they used to be, said Guangzhou resident Wu Cuilan, whose 8-year-old daughter goes to a local primary school.

Thugs hanging round outside the school once demanded her daughter pay protection money, Wu said.

Early this year, six students from a middle school in Guangzhou's Donghuaxi Road were beaten up by another six youths from outside the school.

Five were injured, including one seriously, who had to be sent for emergency hospital treatment.

In September, a 20-year-old university student surnamed Chen was seriously hurt by her boyfriend when she tried to break up with him at the Guangzhou Institute of Commerce.

Last month, 9-year-old Xiao Hua, was killed by a local man surnamed Liu after she refused a kiss from him in Yangdong County, eastern Guangdong Province.

The killing happened in the grounds of Xiao's school in Hongfeng Township on October 12.

Liu beat the girl to death with a brick. He was caught by police the next day.

(China Daily November 8, 2005)