Assistant to Commissioner-General of the Unitary Police Service (SPU) Luis Leong Man Chio revealed yesterday that there are 1,701 citywide CCTV cameras in operation at present, which have assisted in the detection of more than 28,000 crimes since 2016, of which 8,180 cases were detected in the first 10 months of this year.
Leong made the remarks yesterday when addressing a current affairs phone-in programme, Ou Mun Gwong Cheung, hosted by Ou Mun Tin Toi – the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM. Leong said the statistics shows that the improvement in the distribution and increase in the number of CCTV cameras across the city has played a significant role in the detection of crimes.
Leong also underlined that as the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland will be celebrated next month, it is expected that many celebratory activities will be organised in the city, and the Unitary Police Service will join hands with other government entities and step up the exchange of intelligence with the mainland, so as to ensure that all the activities will run smoothly.
Ip Wa Chio, a senior Macau Customs Service (SA) officer, pointed out that from 2020 to October this year, the bureau detected a total of 12,083 cases of smuggling, including 714 cases of cross-border smuggling by vehicles. Ip also said that 313 operations targeting parallel traders were held during the period, which detected 1,085 offences, with an approximate value of 237 million patacas worth of goods seized, while 789 illegal entry cases were intercepted.
Ip also said that in terms of combating the infringement of intellectual property rights, the bureau has busted a total of 134 cases, of which 51 were detected with the assistance of its big data online system, while the value of counterfeits goods seized was about 33.18 million patacas.
Judiciary Police (PJ) Deputy Director Sou Sio Keong said that in recent years, a number of homicides, robberies and arson cases have been solved within a few hours, the incidence of serious crimes and cross-boundary drug trafficking cases has remained low, and the incidence of various types of common and gambling-related crimes is nowadays lower than in pre-pandemic 2019, with illegal gambling syndicates having basically disappeared.
Sou also said that since the criminalisation of illegal currency exchange activities at the end of last month, as at last Friday, 25 illegal currency exchange dealers had been arrested, with more than HK$3.1 million in cash and HK$1.1 million in chips having been seized.
Public Security Police (PSP) Deputy Commissioner Leong Heng Hong (left), Assistant to Commissioner-General of the Unitary Police Service (SPU) Luis Leong Man Chio (second from left), Macau Customs Service (SA) senior officer Ip Wa Chio (second from right) and Judiciary Police (PJ) Deputy Director Sou Sio Keong pose yesterday during the current affairs phone-in programme, Ou Mun Gwong Cheung, hosted by Ou Mun Tin Toi – the Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM yesterday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
