The traditional local police forces’ crime prevention operation over the Chinese New Year period has resulted in the detention of 1,129 suspects, of whom 240 were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) with clear evidence of felonies committed, the Unitary Police Services (SPU) announced in a statement.
According to the statement, the most frequently detected crimes in the operation were those related to illegal currency exchange (110 people), fraud (44 people), theft (32 people), drug-related crimes (14 people), crimes related to prostitution (11 people) and loansharking (six people).
In the course of the “winter crime prevention 2022” operation, a total of 15 people were also caught who were wanted by authorities and had pending arrest warrants against them. Three of these people were sent to prison to serve their sentences.
The month-long operation ran from January 11 to February 10, involving the Public Security Police Force, Judiciary Police, and Customs Services (SA), with coordination from the SPU.
As part of the operation, the SA also intercepted a total of 277 people smuggling goods into Macau, including cosmetics, meat, electronics, cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. All 277 people have been charged under the provisions of the External Trade Law.
According to the SPU, the operation achieved satisfactory results and helped maintain a safe environment in Macau during the festive season.
Traditionally, this operation aimed to prevent seasonal criminal activities which used to occur during this season due to the high influx of visitors from the mainland.
In the past, criminals have taken advantage of holiday crowds and locals being on holiday to commit crimes such as house burglary, and shoplifting and pickpocketing in crowded tourist areas.
This year, the SPU mobilized almost 8,000 police officers who carried out a total of 24,963 investigation operations.
The vast majority of investigations targeted random people on the streets, as well as several types of establishments and vehicles on the streets of Macau.
