China's police to crack down on gangs stealing oil from crude pipelines

China's police authority has vowed to clamp down on crime rings of crude oil thieves, who are posing a threat to the country's energy security.

"Theft of crude oil is rampant in some regions," Ma Weiya, deputy director of the public order bureau under the Ministry of Public Security, said at Friday's news conference.

Ma did not release detailed information of any specific case, but he said that such crime rings were in small numbers while the majority of crude oil thieves are farmer peasants in the impoverished and remote regions.

"The police will show these gangs no leniency, even though some are under the protection of local governments, who expect the stealing would boost the slack local economy," Ma said.

China's police last year arrested 2,877 people and cracked 221 rings for oil theft as they undermined the security of oil pipelines and oil fields.

Nearly 1 billion yuan (about 120 million US dollars) was recovered for oil companies.

The most common crime involves drilling and tapping the pipelines, Ma acknowledged, adding that the gangs usually have their network of stealing, refining, and selling crude oil.

The length of crude pipelines in China added up to 30,000 km, and is expanding, Ma said. "The problem of crude theft won't go away in a short time, and it will possibly deteriorate in some regions."

He said the police will launch a campaign to ensure energy security from March to November this year, and will step up efforts to establish a long-term mechanism to guarantee crude pipeline security.

People stealing oil were normally imprisoned for theft, Ma said. But if their activities undermine pipeline safety and threaten public order, they will be handed more severe punishments, even the death penalty.

Source: Xinhua