Macau has recorded a fall in crimes related to casino activities in the first nine months of the year, and the security branch has speculated that the cause may be the decrease in the number of people circulating in the city due to Covid-19 restrictions.
In the statement announcing the crime figures, the security branch made special mention of the June 18 outbreak, highlighting that it had “constantly evaluated the possible impact on security conditions due to various elements of instability.”
The security branch suggested that “the decline in the number of tourists due to the epidemic and the continued reinforcement of prevention measures and crackdowns by the police” were the causes of the lower figures.
In the first nine months of the year, the police opened a total of 7,329 criminal investigations, a decrease of 16.7% from the same period in 2021.
Of the crimes related to gambling, fraud cases saw the largest decrease, followed by cases of improper possession and usury, also referred to as profiteering, falling by 60%, 48%, and 54.5%, respectively.
Furthermore, violent crimes, which were often related to casino interests and conflicts, have dropped by over 43% year-on-year. Of these, serious violent crimes such as “kidnapping”, “murder”, and “serious wounding” remained at a low rate or ceased entirely.
At the time the statement was published, the security branch had not found any change to the security conditions in or near casinos following the promulgation of the new casino law.
“Rape” fell by 36% year-on-year, while “sexual assault against children” cases increased. The data showed that victims typically met their offenders through online forums and chat rooms. The number of extortion cases increased by 25%; of which the number of blackmail cases involving naked pictures sent over chats increased by more than 30% year-on-year.
The security branch also criticized parallel traders for having “seriously disrupted the normal customs clearance order of Macau and Zhuhai, and also escalated the risk of the spread of the pandemic.”
Of all casino-related crimes, 103 violators were Macau residents, 187 from the mainland, eight from Hong Kong and six from elsewhere. Fifty-one victims were from Macau, 98 from the mainland, five from Hong Kong and one from elsewhere.
The security branch also noted that in the first three quarters of this year – especially from June to August – Macau had been severely affected by the pandemic, leading to greater pressures in all walks of life. The continued rise in the unemployment rate will inevitably create more social instability.
