BEIJING - CHINESE police in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing have detained nearly 10,000 people in an 80-day crime crackdown, state media reported on Wednesday.

Police detained 9,512 suspects in the crackdown, which was Chongqing's biggest in 25 years, the Chongqing Evening News reported.

As a result of the sweep, which came as Beijing hosted the Olympics amid unprecedented security nationwide, detention houses in Chongqing were overflowing, it said.

The report said police had solved 32,771 criminal cases from July 10 to September 30, quoting Wang Yunsheng, vice-director of the Security Bureau of Chongqing.

It said 92 organised crime gangs were busted during the campaign.

Chongqing is one of China's most populous regions, with more than five million people in the city itself and roughly 30 million in the entire municipality. -- AFP