URUMQI - From January to late June, the number of crimes in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region dropped by about 20 percent compared to the same period last year, the regional police department has announced.

Police across the region handled more than 30,000 crimes during the period.

The number of robbery cases dropped by 60.96 percent, the biggest decrease in any crime category, according to a statement issued by the regional public security department on Tuesday.