The Chinese police received a top award on July 17 from the Global Anti-Counterfeiting Group (GACG) for their "outstanding contributions" in combating forgery.

The "highest contribution award" for 2012 was given to the Economic Crime Investigation Department under the Ministry of Public Security by GACG President John Anderson at the awarding ceremony.

In the first five months of the year, Chinese police solved 15,000 forgery cases and apprehended 16,000 suspects during a crackdown, according to figures from the ministry.

From November 2010 to November 2011, a total of 44,000 cases related to IPR infringement and forgery were solved, involving assets of 24.15 billion yuan (about $3.79 billion).

Established in 2002, the award has been presented annually by the GACG to law enforcement organs around the world.