Infected suspects will be tried for theft
Police in Hangzhou are to prosecute 13 HIV-positive pickpockets caught last week.
The arrest and detention of the suspects in the city in Zhejiang province has led to renewed calls for purpose-built facilities to be built to house criminals and suspects with infectious diseases.
Reports in Hangzhou said the 13 suspects - not 12, as reported earlier - were transferred to special detention cells at the West Lake district branch of the city's public security bureau on Monday. They are suspected of being involved in more than 500 pickpocketing cases in the first 10 months of the year, accounting for more than 54 per cent of criminal cases in the district.
Police at the detention centre said the suspects became agitated when they were told that they would be prosecuted, because in the past HIV-positive suspects had always been released due to a lack of isolation facilities. 'They shouted and screamed hysterically,' said the centre's director, Ni Hongfeng. 'They demanded to be released and deliberately tried to antagonise the staff.'
The suspects eat their meals from disposable plates, have their litter sanitised every day and are under 24-hour surveillance by armed officers. Police, who fear infection, have been issued with special masks and helmets and wear two pairs of surgical gloves when coming into contact with the suspects.
Police are now gathering evidence and have promised to pursue other HIV-positive criminal suspects in the city.
The arrests have also led to calls for improved HIV-testing facilities at detention centres.
'It requires the commitment of the health services, the public security bureau, the legal system and the government,' said Han Yusheng, deputy director of the China Institute of Prisons. 'Because HIV-positive detainees have a double identity, they are both suspects and patients.'
Jinzhong Prison, the only jail that can admit HIV-positive criminals in Beijing, has accepted six such prisoners since it set up special cells in August last year.
Early this month, the first purpose-built cell for a convicted HIV-positive criminal was opened in Wuhan, Hubei province, at a cost of 70,000 yuan (HK$65,800). The cell features monitoring and sanitary equipment and has been built in a sparsely populated area.
