Resolutely fight, prevent and repel gambling evils

(Baonghean.vn)- Voters' petition: Gambling and lottery are happening more and more in the province in general and Yen Thanh district in particular, and measures need to be taken to handle it.

- Regarding this issue, the authorities responded as follows:

After the 15th session - the 16th Provincial People's Council, receiving opinions and recommendations from voters of the province and the direction of the Provincial People's Committee in Official Dispatch No. 612/UBND-TH dated January 28, 2016, the Provincial Police directed the Police of units and localities to continue advising Party committees and authorities at all levels to effectively direct the implementation of major policies of the Party, the State, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee on the fight against crime and gambling...

The Provincial Police Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue 02 plans and 02 telegrams to direct all levels and sectors to participate in the work of preventing and combating crimes and social evils, in conjunction with the work of preventing and combating gambling.

A group of people participating in gambling in Nghi Phu commune (Vinh city) were arrested by the authorities in April 2016, photo by Trung Duc

During the implementation process, the Provincial Police Department's leaders have directed the Provincial Police Department's Criminal Police Department to regularly increase its coordination force and provide professional guidance to the Police of districts, cities and towns in the fight against crime and gambling, especially in Yen Thanh district and some key localities such as Vinh city, Nghi Loc, Dien Chau, Do Luong, Tan Ky, Nam Dan, Hoang Mai town, Quy Hop...

Based on the directives of the Provincial Police, the Police of districts, cities and towns have actively and proactively advised Party committees and authorities at all levels and coordinated with functional agencies to comprehensively and seriously implement the work of preventing and combating gambling, associated with the work of ensuring security and order in the area.

- Thanks to promoting solutions to prevent and combat gambling, this work has achieved many positive changes in recent times, notably:

+ Coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications and relevant units to strengthen the management and inspection of Internet business activities in the area, closely monitor website addresses and IP addresses, focusing on addresses that frequently access "betting" websites with servers located abroad to proactively prevent and combat gambling activities on the Internet; coordinate with Nghe An Lottery Company to strengthen the management of agents and contract employees selling lottery tickets, contributing to preventing and stopping bad elements from taking advantage of organizing gambling in the form of lotteries, etc.

+ Strengthen professional measures to proactively grasp the situation of the area and subjects related to gambling activities, especially at key routes and areas, focusing on reviewing and making lists of groups and subjects with signs of suspicion of gambling activities, organizing gambling, and gambling; gambling spots that are regular, professional, and large in nature... to focus on effective prevention and combat measures.

A group of people participating in gambling in the commune (Do Thanh, Yen Thanh) were arrested by the police on April 4, 2016, photo by Trung Duc

+ Do a good job of managing residence, managing conditional business lines regarding security and order, regularly inspect and rectify the operations of hotels, motels, vacation rental facilities... contributing to limiting the situation of subjects taking advantage to organize gambling.

In the first 4 months of 2016, the provincial police force inspected and disciplined more than 110 business establishments with conditions on security and order, hotels, motels, vacation rental establishments... thereby requiring the owners and related subjects to sign a commitment not to organize gambling, and to be ready to cooperate with the police when discovering subjects taking advantage of vacation rental and accommodation activities to organize gambling.

Dien Chau District Criminal Police discussed and identified subjects participating in gambling in the area, photo by Trung Duc

+ Continue to coordinate with functional branches, Party committees and local authorities to improve the effectiveness of all aspects of criminal enforcement against gambling crimes, including directing police forces at all levels to coordinate with functional branches to strictly manage the activities of gambling criminals with suspended sentences or suspended sentences who are in society, and gambling criminals who are serving sentences in communes, wards and towns (mainly suspended sentences and non-custodial reform sentences)... to proactively prevent, detect and strictly handle cases of recidivism in gambling.

- Focus on synchronously deploying professional measures, proactively attacking and eradicating gambling; regularly launching attacks and eradicating gambling in conjunction with attacks and eradicating crimes and social evils.

-About existence and limitations: Although the police of units and localities have resolutely implemented prevention and combat work, the situation of crime and gambling in the province is still complicated, some gambling activities still occur a lot, especially gambling in the form of lottery, etc. The above situation is mainly due to the following reasons:

+ Due to the impact of the difficult economic and social situation, some people are unemployed, some are lazy, some are greedy and gamble. The awareness of a part of the people, including cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees is still limited, they have not seen all the consequences and harms of gambling.

+ Some units, agencies, departments, branches and localities have not really paid attention to propaganda and education on preventing and combating gambling as well as the management and prevention of violations among cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and workers. Some units and localities are still lenient and lack determination in handling cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and workers who violate the law.

Evidence of a gambling case was seized

+ The methods and tricks of gambling criminals are increasingly sophisticated and cunning, with many tricks to deal with the authorities such as: building solid houses for gambling; organizing mobile gambling; using information technology and the Internet for gambling; gambling in the form of "cash", "virtual money" through accounts on the Internet; when arrested, gamblers always find ways to make evasive statements, not declaring or declaring incorrectly the amount of money used for gambling... causing many difficulties for the police force's fight.

+ The penalty for gambling crimes is generally low and there are many different forms of punishment within a penalty framework such as imprisonment, suspended imprisonment, non-custodial reform, fines, etc., so the deterrence of crime is not high.

- To continue to resolve the contents of voters' recommendations, Nghe An Provincial Police would like to propose the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee the following contents::

+ Strengthen the direction, management and supervision of the work of preventing and combating gambling in the province, especially the work of preventing gambling among cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and workers at agencies and units; the handling of gambling crimes by law enforcement agencies.

Many cases involve large amounts of money, illustration photo, Trung Duc

+ Research and propose that the National Assembly and competent authorities stipulate that the amount of money that subjects put into gambling dens is the amount of money used for gambling to avoid creating loopholes for subjects to "circumvent the law", dealing with the police in proving the value of money and objects used for gambling; at the same time, avoid the situation where public opinion incorrectly perceives the nature of some gambling cases where the value of money and objects used for gambling is not large compared to the scale of the gambling case.

+ Research and issue specific regulations to handle responsibilities of heads of sectors, levels, agencies, and units whose cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees, and workers under their management commit violations related to gambling, and localities that allow complicated gambling situations to occur, causing public outrage.

PV (TH)