National Police plan to crack down on juvenile delinquents across the country through a targeted campaign against suspected "gangsters", police officials said Wednesday.

Kirt Chatharith, spokesman for the National Police at the Ministry of Interior, said that from August 1 to August 15, police from provincial and municipal departments compiled a list of delinquents almost 7,000 names long. Police plan to target these individuals for both enforcement and instruction.

"We have a list of the gangsters' names, so we will ask them and their parents to talk about their bad activities. We want them to be good people," Kirt Chantharith said.

The crackdown stems from a directive issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen in June 2009 asking relevant authorities nationwide to step up prevention efforts regarding drug use and public disturbances by juvenile groups.