Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, releases the crime figures of the first quarter of 2016 at a press briefing.
The number of crimes recorded in the first quarter of 2016 fell by 7.1 percent year-on-year, to 3,333 cases. Instances of the most serious forms of crime were either non-existent, or extremely low in number. The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, said the latest crime figures showed Macao to be a secure and safe city; nonetheless, the police would remain vigilant regarding any perceived trend in types of crime, and would update their crime-fighting strategies when deemed necessary. Mr Wong made the comments on Monday (30 May) at a press briefing disclosing the crime figures for the first three months of 2016. The police transferred a total of 1,615 people to the Public Prosecutions Office for further investigation in the first quarter of 2016. The tally was up 15.9 percent from the same period last year. Cases of usury and false imprisonment saw an increase of 55.9 percent and 32.8 percent respectively. An increase in gaming-related crimes showed scant connection to the adjustment occurring in the city’s gaming industry and the notion that such an adjustment might be a negative thing. The police are nonetheless paying close attention to the development of the sector and adjusting their enforcement strategies as necessary. The number of violent crimes reported in the period showed a rise of 24 percent to 181 cases. The rise was mainly due to an increase in cases of false imprisonment and of drug trafficking. Crimes against the person went up by 2.8 percent to 626 cases in the first quarter of 2016. No case of murder or kidnap had been reported to the police during the period. Cases of grievous assault remained at a low level. There was a total of 186 cases of crimes against society in the first quarter of 2016, representing a drop of 27.9 percent. Cases of arson showed a significant decrease of 80 percent. The Secretary said cases of robbery, arson and telephone fraud recorded a significant decrease. This was attributable to the police’s efforts in crime prevention and their sharing of intelligence with the community. The number of illegal immigrants caught during the period totalled 7,431, a decrease from the 8,781 people detained in the first quarter last year. The reduction in the number was a result of closer cooperation with the mainland authorities under anti-smuggling arrangements, Mr Wong said. There were 1,277 infractions relating to taxi services, a 25.9 percent decline year-on-year. The police would step up enforcement efforts against such types of infraction, in order to promote a positive image of Macao as a tourism city. The Secretary also commented on some publicly expressed opinion that the police are overstaffed. Mr Wong said he did not agree with such comment, saying there were many methods by which to evaluate the appropriate ratio of police officers to inhabitants in a city. Factors determining that ratio included a city’s population density; its openness as a society; the pace of development of a city; its complexity; its legal system; and its mode of law enforcement. The police were committed to implementing a new vision for law enforcement that involved enhancing the services provided to the community rather than increasing police manpower. This could be achieved by more promotion of “community policing”; by updating police equipment; and by outsourcing some security functions, Mr Wong said.