Macau’s total number of reported crimes rose 37.6 percent year on year to 13,487 in 2023, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak has announced.
Wong also said that last year’s total number of reported crimes represented a 4.9 percent decrease from the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when 14,178 suspected crimes were recorded.
Wong announced Macau’s 2023 crime statistics during a press conference at the S. Francisco Barracks yesterday.
4 homicides
Wong pointed out that four homicides were recorded last year, involving prostitution, illegal currency exchange, personal and family relations, and interpersonal issues. Among these cases, Wong described the one that occurred within a local family as a tragedy, while another case took place in Zhuhai involving a local suspect.
One of the victims was linked to prostitution.
In 2022, just one homicide was reported.
Wong noted that in 2023, there was a significant increase in the proportion of non-local residents among the victims of rape, with non-locals accounting for 80 percent of the total number of victims. He added that many of these cases might have been derived from sex trade.
The fourth homicide case occurred during an illegal money exchange transaction. Wong noted that as the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessened last year, there was a growth in unlawful activities related to gambling, although it remained noticeably lower than in 2019 before the pandemic. Wong also warned of a significant increase in the number of individuals involved in illegal money exchange groups, with more frequent activities leading to an increase in crimes.
All in all, the number of violent crimes rose 76.5 percent year on year to 270 last year, including 37 robberies, 41 rapes, 45 cases of arson, 54 cases of drug trafficking and sales, and 41 cases of illegal imprisonment.
Child sex abuse on rise
Wong noted that 36 cases of child sexual abuse cases were reported last year, which showed an increase compared to both 2022 and 2019. Among these cases, the majority involved minor incidents of sexual harassment, exhibitionism and voyeurism, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the cases. Cases involving consensual sexual activities with classmates or peers of similar age accounted for about 25 percent of the cases, Wong added.
In 2019, only 11 child sexual abuse cases were reported.
Pickpocketing cases rise 461 pct
According to yesterday’s press conference, Macau’s number of reported fraud rose 89.8 percent to 2,496 last year, while theft cases increased 84.3 percent to 1,983.
The number of reported pickpocketing cases leaped 461.6 percent to 410 last year, whereas the number of robbery cases grew 208.3 percent to 37.
Computer crime case increased 69.0 percent to 578 in 2023.
Wong noted that everywhere in the world fraud cases are on the rise, and Macau is not immune to this trend. He underlined that in Macau last year phone call scams resulted in losses of approximately 156 million patacas, while online scams caused losses of 154 million patacas, both kinds of fraud totalling around 310 million patacas. Out of this total, about 130 million patacas were successfully recovered, which was still significantly higher than the combined losses of about 68 million Macau patacas in 2019.
Wong acknowledged the challenges in preventing telecoms fraud. He pointed out that some of the victims were scammed even though they had been aware of the local police forces’ anti-telecoms fraud campaigns.
However, the victims, especially those with higher educational and professional career backgrounds , often falsely believe that they will not be deceived by telecoms fraudsters, Wong said, adding that the victims only seem to remember the anti-crime campaign messages after they were scammed.
Meanwhile, reported cases of aiding and abetting illegal immigration fell 24.2 percent to 483.
Macau’s various police forces transferred 4,445 individuals to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) for further investigations and the possible laying of charges.
A total of 14,775 overstayers, 96.4 percent of them mainlanders, were caught by law enforcement last year, a year-on-year growth of 54.6 percent.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak (centre), flanked by senior law enforcement officers under his portfolio, talks about Macau’s 2023 crime statistics during yesterday’s press conference at the S. Francisco Barracks, the headquarters of the Macau Public Security Forces. – Photo: William Chan
