Macau Crime on The Rise

Written on May 22, 2007 by admin

The Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, said today that the police had enhanced the force to combat illegal labours and violent crimes such as murder and robbery.

Mr Cheong said this when he announced the crime statistics for the first quarter of 2007, which recorded 177 cases of violent crime, a drop of 8.3% compared with the same period last year. However, a total of 3,081 crimes were recorded in the first three months of 2007, an 17% increase (+447 cases).

In the reporting quarter, there were more 25 cases of illegal labourers found, which made a total of 118 cases. Pick-pocket and deception cases increased 45.9% and 43.3% respectively.

Mr Cheong said there was a 10.8% increase (+1,592 cases) in property related offences. Offences against the person recorded 656 cases, a 15.1% increase. Violation of social lives increased 31.3% (+390 cases),

He also revealed that offences against the local area logged 207 cases (+50%). Among these, violation of order increased 76.8% and a rise of fake declaration to 26.9%.

As for uncathegorised crimes, 236 cases were recorded, an increase of 22.9%. Of these, acceptancee and employment of illegal immigrants logged 166 cases, an increase of 30.7 (+39 cases) compared with the same period last year.

On the other hand, juvenile crimes dropped 2.5%, making a total of 39 cases; and the number of underage people involved in crime totaled 82.

In the same period the police had repatriated 5,736 people from Macao, among them 366 illegal immigrants from the Mainland (+165), 3,760 Mainland overstayers (+2007), and 368 overstayers of other nationalities (+162), Mr Cheong said.

Source : Government Information Bureau

Criminology Today: An Integrative Introduction (4th Edition)