Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that the crime situation in the first half of this year was generally under control, adding that the continued increase in telecom and online fraud has led to a rise in the overall number of crimes in the first six months of this year.
Overall number of crimes rises to 7,160 cases
Releasing the first half-year crime rate during a press conference at the S. Francisco Barracks, Wong noted that the overall number of reported crimes amounted to 7,160 cases, a year-on-year increase of 912 cases, or 14.6 percent, and an increase of 240 cases, or 3.5 percent, compared with the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, underlining that serious violent crimes in Macau continued to maintain a “low crime trend”, with no homicide or kidnapping cases reported in the first half of the year: “The overall crime situation is under control and social order remains stable and favourable”.
In the first half of the year, according to Wong, there were 149 cases of violent crimes, 34 cases of rape, 19 cases of robbery and 1,052 cases of theft, representing year-on-year increases of 27 cases, or 22.1 percent; 14 cases, or 70 percent; two cases, or 11.8 percent; and 111 cases, or 11.8 percent, respectively, while the number of cases involving arson, child sexual abuse and drug trafficking were down by nine cases, or 34.6 percent; five cases, or 27.8 percent; and two cases, or 7.7 percent from the first six months of last year to, respectively, 17 cases, 13 cases, and 24 cases this year.
Wong pointed out that thefts mainly occurred at tourist attractions, wet markets, entertainment venues and on public transport, with the first half of the year seeing a “significant increase” in the number of thefts from vehicles, most victims of which parked their vehicles on the roadside but left the doors unlocked.
According to the statistics released yesterday, the number of suspected domestic violence notifications in the first half of this year was 67, of which three cases were confirmed as domestic violence offences, 51 were offences of causing bodily harm, and 13 are still under investigation.
Wong pointed out that the situation of juvenile delinquency in Macau has worsened, with a total of 63 cases reported in the first six months of this year, representing an increase of seven and 28 cases compared with the same period last year and in 2019, mainly involving brawls and thefts.
In terms of traffic enforcement, according to Wong, the Public Security Police (PSP) have stepped up patrols in areas with heavy pedestrian flow, such as tourist hotspots, fining a total of 4,614 jaywalkers between January and June this year, representing an increase of nearly four times compared with the same period in 2023, while the Public Security Police, in conjunction with the Transport Bureau (DSAT) have imposed penalties on 589 cabbies for malpractices such as refusing hire, overcharging and failure to take the most direct route.
Wong said: “With the rise in the number of visitors to Macau and the continuous growth in the mobile population, there is an increased risk of robberies, thefts or gaming-related crimes and, therefore, the law enforcement agencies will continue to monitor the development trend of social order, analyse in-depth crime data and crime characteristics, maintain a high degree of vigilance against possible uncertainties, and launch timely and targeted preventive measures and crime-fighting deployments by the police to safeguard the lives and properties of locals and tourists”.
Telecom, network & computer fraud
Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, there were a total of 908 cases involving telecom, network and computer fraud, of which 188 were phone fraud cases, an increase of 29 cases and 152 cases respectively over the same period in 2023 and 2019, with nearly 80 percent of the cases involving the modus operandi of “impersonating government officials and officers”, Wong quoted the report as saying, noting that the number of online scam cases amounted to 408, an increase of 59 and 279 cases respectively over the same period in 2023 and 2019, with the main practices including online investment, ticket sales and online shopping, while computer fraud stood at 312 cases in the first six months of this year, of which 263 involved credit card online purchases and 28 related to sexual blackmail.
Wong said that the police forces have continued to deepen their three-pronged prevention and control model, namely anti-fraud prevention, recovery and combating, in a bid to curb fraudulent crimes, in which in terms of recovery, the Judiciary Police (PJ) in conjunction with the banking sector have stopped suspicious remittances totalling 39 million patacas, while the Judiciary Police have also notified the banking sector of 269 suspicious bank accounts, taking early warning, freezing and other measures according to the actual circumstances.
Wong added that in the area of combating fraud, the Judiciary Police have continued to strengthen their investigative capabilities and deepen the exchange of intelligence with their counterparts elsewhere, making every effort to combat fraudulent criminal activities in Macau, with a total of 139 suspected fraud gang members detained in the first half of this year, while blocking, through a special mechanism with Macau’s telecom operators, 322 phishing websites in the first half of this year.
Currency exchange fraud
Meanwhile, In the first half of the year, the number of casino loansharking and false imprisonment cases amounted to 129 and 29 respectively, both higher than in the same period last year but significantly lower than in the same period in 2019, with the suspects and victims predominantly non-local residents, and the vast majority of them being gaming-related offences, Wong said, adding that currency exchange gangs continue to be a major factor disrupting the security of the casinos and their surrounding areas.
According to Wong, in the first six months, a total of 2,215 illegal currency exchange dealers were intercepted by the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Judiciary Police in various operations, among whom 2,072 were non-local residents subjected to deportation and travel ban measures, while 1,540 of them have meanwhile been banned by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) from entering local casinos. Wong said that of the various types of offences arising from currency exchange gangs in the first half of 2024, the most significant type of offence was fraud, with a total of 351 cases, an increase of 267 and 262 compared to the same period in 2023 and 2019 respectively: “The crimes involved are mainly fraud, with a sharp trend of professionalisation and syndication, deriving a new crime situation such as ‘double-crossing’”.
Double-crossing means to deceive someone after having gained their trust and led them to believe that they were being aided.
‘Very happy to continue to work for SAR government’: Wong
When asked by the media whether he would continue to serve as a policy secretary during the next term of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government, Wong said: “In fact, I have been a public servant for more than 30 years, having served the local community even before Macau’s return to the motherland until now in different posts. I feel honoured to serve the people of Macau, and I feel that I have a sense of responsibility to do so. Over the years, the joint efforts of colleagues in the public security area have also achieved certain results and, of course, more efforts are still needed,” adding that whether he will continue to work for the next MSAR government or continue to serve the government as a policy secretary depends on the new chief executive and the central government: “If I am expected to continue [to serve the SAR government], I will, of course, be very happy and honoured”.
Macau’s new chief executive and other MSAR principal officials are scheduled to be sworn in on December 20.
Former president of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI) Sam Hou Fai is the only chief executive candidate.
Wong, 56, has been Macau’s top public security official since 2014. He is a former public prosecutor and director of the Judiciary Police (PJ). Wong holds a doctorate degree in law from Peking University. He also attended university courses in law, language and culture in Portugal in the early 1990s.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak addresses yesterday’s press conference at the S. Francisco Barracks about Macau’s 2024 first-half crime statistics. – Photo: Yuki Lei
