Police vows to ensure safety after explosions, fires

All-out efforts to ensure public safety will be made after an airport explosion, knife attack and fires hit Beijing in the space of a week, the Ministry of Public Security said Thursday.

Chinese police said in a statement that violent crimes will be "resolutely punished" and those threatening to cause fires or explosions will be "severely dealt with" according to the law.

The police will always "maintain high vigilance against terrorism, violent crimes and crimes involving guns or explosives, deal with problems affecting social stability and those complained most by people, and eliminate various safety risks," said the statement issued after a national teleconference on tackling public order offenses.

"China is a country ruled by law and every one should comply with the law," it said, adding decisive measures should be taken to absolutely punish violent criminals.

Those making bomb or fire threats, or fabricating and circulating fake terrorism information, will be severely penalized, it said.

Robbery, theft and crimes relating to food and drug safety, telecommunications fraud (swindling money over phone hoaxes), pornography, gambling, drug trafficking and illicit Internet bars will also be targeted by the police.

The "online black market" of selling guns should especially be cracked down on so that firearms and explosives will not spread and harm society, it said.

The public are encouraged to report information relating to crimes and their help toward victims will be "resolutely supported and protected," said the statement.

The teleconference comes after several incidents happened in the capital over the past five days that have raised safety concerns among the public.

An explosion happened Saturday evening at Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 after a wheelchair-bound man set off a home-made explosive device.

A knife-wielding man injured four people on Monday in a Carrefour store in the city.

Two fires broke out on Wednesday in downtown Beijing, one on the roof of a Carrefour supermarket, the other caused by a gas explosion at a bakery, which killed two and injured 19.