Macau’s police forces recorded 3,006 crimes in the first quarter of this year, a 17.2 percent, or 441 cases, year-on-year growth, but a drop of 10.6 percent, or 358 cases, in comparison with the same quarter in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that the overall crime rate and the number of most types of crime recorded in Macau in the first three months of this year was higher than in the same period of last year, among which few types of property crimes, such as fraud and computer crime, increased “significantly”, even exceeding the number recorded in the same period of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Macau.

Macau confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in January 2020.

However, Wong added, the total number of crimes was lower than those recorded in the first quarter of 2019.

Wong announced Macau’s 2023 first-quarter crime statistics during a press conference at the S. Francisco Barracks.

Phone fraud scams increase ‘significantly’

According to Wong, the number of recorded fraud cases in the first quarter of this year reached 435, higher than in the same period of last year and of 2019, with a “significant” increase in phone fraud cases with 89 cases recorded, an increase of 70 and 74 cases compared with the same period in 2019 and 2022 respectively.

Phone fraud cases involving purported government officials accounted for the highest proportion, in which fraudsters mainly impersonated police officers or officials from different government entities to obtain purported “fines” and “deposits” or personal information from the victims, Wong noted.

In view of the fact that the number of concerts held in Macau has increased, the number of reported concert ticket scams increased from three to 15 cases year on year in the first quarter of this year.

The police, in collaboration with their counterparts in Macau’s neighbouring areas and local banks, stopped 168 suspicious remittances, involving over 54 million patacas, in the first three months of this year, Wong noted.

A total of 94 computer crimes were reported in the first quarter of 2023, an increase from the same period last year and slightly higher than in the same period of 2019, of which 57 were “online purchases involving credit cards”, while 27 were “improper access to computer systems”, accounting for 60.6 percent and 28.7 percent of the total respectively.

The frequency and quantity of online entertainment and consumption increased “significantly” during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected Macau between early 2020 and late last year, resulting in a “rapid” rise in such cases, Wong said, pointing out that the number of computer crimes reached 322 cases in the first quarter of 2021.

The policy secretary promised that the police will continue to strengthen their anti-crime awareness campaigns, intelligence gathering, cyber patrols and cross-border police cooperation to “effectively” curb the growth of computer crimes.

Child sexual abuse rises 11.1 pct

According to Wong, the police recorded 572 crimes against persons in the first three months of this year, resulting in an increase of 2.3 percent, or 13 cases, year on year, among which 10 child sexual abuse cases were recorded, an increase of 11.1 percent, or one case, year on year, while the number of reported rape cases increased 28.6 percent year on year to nine cases.

The number of reported child sexual abuse cases was eight more than in the same period of 2019, indicating a growth of 400 percent, Wong noted, stressing that although the number of child sexual abuse cases involving online dating had declined, the proportion of consensual  sex among peers had increased “significantly”. 

Child sexual abuse involves children under the age of 14, according to Article 166 of the Macau Penal Code.

Wong pointed out that 70 percent of the victims of reported rape cases were non-local residents.

Property crime cases exceed 1,700

In the first quarter of this year, the police recorded 1,765 property crime cases, a year-on-year increase of 33.2 percent, or 440 cases, among which the numbers of reported theft, fraud and robbery cases were up 61.6 percent, 35.5 percent and 100 percent, from 268, 321 and four cases to 433, 435 and eight respectively.

A total of 62 violent crimes were recorded in first three months of this year, 44.2 percent up from 43 cases year on year, but 60.8 percent down from the same period of 2019, when the number stood at 158 cases, with serious violent crimes such as “kidnapping”, “homicide” and “serious assault” remaining at “zero or low” incidence, Wong said, adding that 24 juvenile crimes were recorded in the first quarter of 2023, up by five cases from 19 in the same period of last year.

In the first quarter, Macau recorded one murder case in March, in which a local woman was killed by a Hong Kong man when she was providing commercial sex, Wong noted.

Gambling-related cases rise 24.4 pct

Regarding gambling-related crime cases in the first three months of this year, Wong said that 158 crime cases related to gambling activities were reported, a year-on-year increase of 31 cases, or 24.4 percent, but down by 280 cases, or 63.9 percent, compared with the same period in 2019.

Wong pointed out that the total number of gambling-related crime cases in the first quarter of this year was still lower than in the first quarters of 2019, 2020 and 2021 when the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was severely affecting Macau gaming industry.

The police recorded 16 arson cases in the first quarter of this year, 10 cases more than in the same period of last year, a 166.7 percent year-on-year rise.

In response to the increased number of overall crime cases, Wong said that the police have already studied and analysed the characteristics and changing trends of related crimes, and adjusted law enforcement strategies to deal with them from three aspects – preventing crime, fighting crime, and recovering public safety.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak poses during yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s 2023 first-quarter crime statistics, at the S. Francisco Barracks.
– Photo: Yuki Lei