Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, announces crime figures of first three quarters of 2015 at a press conference.
The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, stressed the police services were capable and confident of maintaining the stability of Macao at a time when the city’s gaming industry was experiencing a period of adjustment. The Secretary made the comments at a press briefing session on 2 December, when he disclosed the figures for crimes recorded in the first nine months of the year. Mr Wong said the number of crimes reported in the first three quarters of 2015 fell 2.2 percent compared to the same period last year. The police conducted a total of 10,347 criminal investigations during the nine months to September 30 – a decline of 229 cases compared to the prior-year period. Police enforcement efforts regarding casino-related crimes were effective, he said, given that a total of 1,281 suspects were prosecuted, a rise of 52 percent in the number of prosecutions compared to the corresponding period last year. Cases related to usury and false imprisonment have been increasing since March when judged year-on-year, said Mr Wong. But such cases mainly related to activities reportedly occurring on casino premises and involved people from outside Macao, he added. Usury cases rose 35.6 percent year-on-year and false imprisonment cases went up 135.1 percent. The police have been closely monitoring the gaming sector during the period of the industry’s adjustment, Mr Wong said. Intelligence gathered so far showed no unusual activity, he added. Regarding the case of an alleged fraud involving a gaming promoter called “Dore”, the Secretary said it was linked to a loophole in the promoter’s internal financial management, and showed no direct correlation to the market-wide adjustment of the gaming industry. Mr Wong said that the number of violent crimes reported in the first nine months of the year rose 30.8 percent year-on-year to 561 cases. The most serious forms of violent crime – such as murder, kidnap, and grievous assault – were either at a low level or non-existent, he stated. Crimes against society fell 6.9 percent to 639 cases in the first nine months of 2015. Crimes such as using forged documents and transferring counterfeit money showed a sharp decrease of 23.3 percent and 47.5 percent respectively judged year-on-year. There were a total of 23,366 incidents of illegal immigration and visa overstaying recorded in the first nine months of 2015. Of these incidents, 20,990 involved mainland residents and 2,376 involved people from overseas. Telephone fraud dropped to 152 recorded cases from the 236 recorded in the corresponding period of 2014, Mr Wong said. The Government would continue to collaborate with authorities on the mainland and step up awareness campaigns to notify the public of the latest trends in such criminal activity. Regarding infractions relating to taxi services, there were 4,050 recorded incidents in the first three quarters of 2015, compared to the 1,666 recorded for full-year 2014. The cases this year included 1,429 incidents of refusing to take passengers (35 percent of the total incidents reported); and 948 cases of overcharging (23 percent of total reported incidents). There were also 290 cases of illegal transportation of passengers detected by authorities. Mr Wong additionally said the Government would strengthen enforcement action against unlicensed transportation services in order to safeguard the rights of residents and the operators of licensed taxis.