Briefs | Violent crime up 11pct in Macau

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that violent crime was on the increase in Macau. According to data presented by the secretary, Macau’s security forces handled a total of 840 cases of violent crime last year, an increase of around 11.3 percent over the previous year. Moreover, there was an almost 30 percent increase in cases of abduction – accounting for around 60 percent of the total number of violent crime cases – reaching a total of 504. In 2016, the number of cases involving the sexual abuse of children totaled 16, six more than in the previous year. The police registered more than 14,300 criminal cases during the previous year, which represents an increase of more than 700 cases from 2015. Wong informed yesterday that security forces in the territory would continue to assess the impact of the economic adjustment period on crime and will “assess the possible negative consequences to safety.”

Construction sector employment dips

Unemployment in the construction sector has increased following the completion of a number of construction works across Macau prior to the Lunar New Year, according to data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). The fall in the number of employed construction workers brought the general unemployment rate for the November 2016-January 2017 period up slightly by 0.1 percentage points from the previous three-month period ending in December 2016. This brings the territory-wide unemployment rate for Macau residents up to 2.8 percent, accounting for 7,900 people with 7.6 percent of them being new entrants to the labor force. Including non-resident workers in the territory, those employed amounted to almost 382,000, out of which 278,000 are employed residents. Analyzed by industry, employment in the construction and restaurants sectors registered a decrease, while that in the gaming and junket industry saw an increase.

Rooster coins available for purchase

From March 2, Macao Post and the Telecommunications Bureau will start to sell commemorative coins for the Lunar Year of the Rooster released by the Monetary Authority of Macau. The coins are available at the Philatelic Shop of the General Post Office. Three types of coin are available this year, a small silver coin (31.1g), a large silver coin (5oz) and a gold coin (7.77g), which will retail for MOP1230, MOP6,630 and MOP7,320 respectively. This year’s series is the 10th in the Macau Lunar coin collection (spanning 2008-2019), according to the Singapore Mint, the manufacturers and marketers of the coins. As has been the case at times in the past, the 2017 pieces feature half of the coin adorned with flower patterns with the other half embossed with a simple animal illustration reflecting the patron of the Lunar Year.