[Photo/VCG]

A guideline to improve the efficiency in dealing with online criminal cases was released on Tuesday, following the rapid growth of online crime in the recent years.

Jointly issued by Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security, the guideline clarifies procedure-related problems, such as what counts as a crime scene and ways to collect evidence, in a bid to help in the fight against internet-related offenses and create a safe online environment.

For example, it stipulated that online crime scenes include the places where network servers are located, where online services are provided as well as where victims suffer from financial loss.

Given that online criminal cases usually involve a great deal of evidence that either cannot, or does not need to be collected, the guideline permits investigators to gather a certain proportion of evidence for explanation and elaboration.

A statement released by the SPC said that as implementation of the central authority requirement to build a society by the rule of law, the guideline will help joint efforts in handling online criminal cases and provide stronger judicial support to cyberspace governance.

Data provided by the SPC showed that courts resolved some 282,000 online criminal cases between January 2017 and December 2021, with over 660,000 people punished.

Among the cases, those involving fraud and online gambling houses made up the majority, the top court said, adding that the number of these online crimes is still rising.