Crime in Macau dropped by 15.8% in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2021, the secretary for security of the Chinese administrative region announced today.
The authorities opened 4,983 criminal investigation cases, which translates into a “reduction of 932 cases” in the six months under review, compared to the same period in 2021, according to a statement from that government department.
In violent crime (abduction, homicide, child sexual abuse, kidnapping, drug trafficking and sale, robbery, rape, fire and serious harm to physical integrity), the authorities registered 83 cases in the first half of this year, against 129 in the same period. last year, a reduction of 35.7%.
“In the context of crimes of serious violence, kidnapping, murder and serious bodily harm, we continue to maintain a zero rate or a very low rate,” the document added.
Crimes against property also fell by 10.5%, with 2,596 cases in the first six months of 2022.
In this assessment of crime for the first half of 2022, the office of Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak underlined that “the most significant reduction” took place in computer crimes.
In the first half of 2022, there were 107 cases, a decrease of 510 cases compared to the same period last year, representing a decrease of 82.7%.
“This leads to the conclusion that the special prevention and combat measures applied by the police have obtained remarkable results”, defended the office of Wong Sio Chak.
However, security forces highlighted the registration of 17 cases of child sexual abuse, seven more than in the same period in 2021, an increase attributed to the use of social networks “to make new friends”.
The report also highlighted the emergence of “some methods of fraud” by telephone or computers, related to the outbreak of covid-19 that hit Macau from 18 June.
The impact of this outbreak “on the economy and on the lives of the people of Macau cannot be ignored. In the future, more instability factors may arise that could affect the security of society”, according to the Secretary for Security.
In an assessment of the impact of the casino industry situation on Macau’s security, the authorities highlighted “a significant drop in the number of gambling-related crimes”, “especially due to the reduction in tourist arrivals” during the recent outbreak.
Gambling accounts for around 80% of government revenue and 55.5% of Macau’s gross domestic product (GDP), in an industry that employs more than 80,000 people, that is, 17.23% of the employed population.
