The police in the Pearl River Delta¹ cities of Guangzhou and Foshan will join forces to crackdown on crimes involving foreigners, a local newspaper reported yesterday.

At a meeting to discuss the coordination² of police forces in Guangzhou and Foshan on Monday, the heads of both public security bureaus vowed³ to step up efforts to eliminate criminal activities involving expatriates, Guangzhou-based New Express said.

"The number of crimes committed by foreigners has significantly risen in the city of Foshan since Guangzhou has cracked down on illegal foreign immigrants," the newspaper quoted Yang Jianhua, head of Foshan public security bureau, as saying.

Wu Sha, head of the municipal public security bureau of Guangzhou, seconded Yang's suggestion to launch joint⁴ campaigns to fight such crimes

"Such crimes occur more often in the juncture⁵ areas between Guangzhou and Foshan, as the two cities are integrated," said Wen Miaosen, the press officer of Foshan public security bureau.

The criminal activities foreigners have been involved in are primarily related to fraud, theft and robbery, the official said.

"We received at least five cases involving foreigners every month last year," he said.

"Foreign criminals take advantage of the friendly and kind nature of local people to dupe them," said Cao Liping, an insurance agent in Guangzhou, whose brother-in-law was robbed of about 2,000 yuan last April in Foshan's Nanhai district.

Cao said two foreigners, who looked like Arabs, approached his brother-in-law for help to verify a 100-yuan note. "They snatched his wallet as soon as he took it out to verify the banknote and fled. People in Guangzhou must be more alert," Cao said.

The province of Guangdong is a hot destination for illegal immigrants, most of who come from developing countries, according to Peng Peng, a researcher with Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences.

And Guangzhou, which has many small foreign trade firms, is an even more popular city for illegal immigrants, who want to make a quick and easy buck⁶, he said. "Unless effective measures are taken, the number of illegal immigrants will continue to grow in the province," he stated.