Illegal firework cases within Shanghai plummet
Six people have been placed under criminal detention and four under administrative detention since December 1 for illegally transporting, selling and storing fireworks and firecrackers in 17 cases, Shanghai police said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 1,034 boxes of illegal fireworks and firecrackers have been seized, with about 90,000 yuan (US$13,700) in fines collected, police added.
These figures are in stark contrast to those of last December, when there were a total of 204 cases of illegal use, transportation, selling and storing of fireworks and firecrackers with 91 suspects detained, 8,773 boxes of the illegal objects seized and about 830,000 yuan in fines collected.
Shanghai started to ban all fireworks and firecrackers within the Outer Ring Road from January 1, 2016 and significantly restricted the number of places which can legally sell fireworks and firecrackers.
This year, there are just nine stores selling such products, one in each district outside the Outer Ring Road, according to the city’s fire authority.
Police said they will step up publicity of the rules among all residents and take strengthened measures to prevent illegal fireworks and firecrackers from being transported into and sold in Shanghai.
From the night before Chinese New Year’s Eve on February 14 until the Lantern Festival on March 2, there will be “enough police officers” on the streets and in neighborhoods to spot illegal fireworks and firecrackers, police said.