The police on Sunday decided to place more officers in Itaewon, Daelim and Garibong-dong of Seoul and Wongok-dong of Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where the foreign population is dense and relevant crimes are reportedly rampant.

All police officers in the areas will join patrols and other security measures to stem violent crimes and prevent any terrorism that could take place ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit slated for March 26-27 in the capital.

Police units will be placed around-the-clock to stem activities by foreign crime rings. From Feb. 13 to April 11, a special crackdown will be conducted to ferret out possible terrorists and other criminals.

At police headquarters, a special team dedicated to foreign crimes will be established, where agents fluent in Chinese and other languages will be placed for intelligence activities.

According to the National Police Agency, a total of 26,915 foreigners were arrested in 2011 for suspected crimes. The figure is a 19 percent rise from 2010. Among them, 3,432, or 12.7 percent, were apprehended in the Yongsan, Guro, Yeongdeungpo, and Ansan areas. The investigators assume that 50 out of 84 foreigners who have been charged with felonies evaded deportation and are staying in those areas.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)