国内英语新闻:Chinese prosecutors ordered to crack down on forgery of military IDs, car plates

BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) has demanded "high-voltage" crackdown on crimes involving the production of fake military identification and other items.

In a notice issued by the SPP Friday, prosecutors were urged to make greater efforts to take on cases involving the use of fake military identification and the counterfeiting of military uniforms, invoices, car plates and websites.

Forging military IDs and other military items constitute a crime in China. People can face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of forging, trading or stealing military documents, stamps, uniforms or car plates.

Swindlers have faked military ID cards to defraud the public when recruiting military officers and students for military academies. Some have forged military car plates to evade vehicle taxes and road tolls.

A spokesman from the Supreme People's Court estimated in July last year that the forgery of military car plates causes 1 billion yuan (156.5 million U.S. dollars) in economic losses for China each year.

Counterfeiting military items is rampant, despite increased prohibition. The SPP has blamed individuals from government agencies for failing to properly report counterfeiting cases and supervise the production of such items.

The SPP has ordered procuratorates at various levels to probe job-related crimes related to the forgery of military items.

China's procuratorate has a special division responsible for crimes involving dereliction of official duty, such as bribery and corruption, that are not handled by the police.