Macau’s police forces launched 10,058 criminal investigations in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year decrease of 7.1 percent, Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King announced during a press conference at his office yesterday.
Chan, a former chief public prosecutor who succeeded Wong Sio Chak at the helm of Macau’s public security services in September, stressed that Macau’s overall public security situation has remained stable and favourable this year. Wong now heads the Administration and Justice portfolio.
Chan underlined that crimes that concern civil society the most – such as serious violent crime, theft, robbery, fraud, and cybercrime – have continued to show a downward trend, reflecting the effectiveness of the various police forces’ crime prevention and crime-fighting efforts. The police investigated two homicides in the first nine months of this year.
Chan noted that 187 violent crime cases were recorded between January and September, down by 11 per cent year-on-year. He also revealed that during police operations and criminal investigations, 4,475 individuals were arrested and transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for follow-up, an increase of 8.8 percent.
A total of 48 drug trafficking and dealing cases were recorded in the first three quarters, 13 cases more than in the same period last year. Chan said the increase was due to the discovery of a number of cross-border drug trafficking cases, thanks to reinforced external police cooperation. He cited an incident at the end of September in which 31 kilos of cannabis buds were seized, with an estimated street value of 31.77 million patacas, marking the largest cannabis smuggling case in Macau’s history.
On the anti-fraud front, Chan underlined that by the end of November this year, three fraud cases associated with "deepfake" AI technology had been detected by the police, the first such local cases in Macau discovered in April this year. Chan stressed that while none of the cases caused actual damages, the public should remain alert.
According to Macau’s top security official, the police recorded 1,737 gaming-industry-related cases in the first nine months, a year-on-year growth of 70.1 per cent. He attributed the steep rise, among other factors, to the enactment of amended legislation targeting gaming crimes and illegal currency exchange activities.
Chan also mentioned that 98 juvenile crime cases were recorded in the first three quarters, an increase of 7.7 per cent year-on-year, involving 150 minors, 17 more than in the same period last year.
Caption: Macau SAR Secretary for Security Chan Tzs King (centre)
addresses yesterday's press conference at his office about the city's crime statistics in the first nine months of this year. - Photo: GCS
