Crime is rising but not yet at pre-pandemic levels

In general, the number of crimes has been growing over the first half (1H) of this year at a rate of 25.4%, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak said yesterday morning in a press conference organized to report the crime statistics over 1H.

When compared with the same period from 2022, the number of crimes committed is up by over 25%, with crimes against the territory and the crimes against property growing at exponential rates of 46.7% and 44.5%, respectively.

Also growing at a significantly high rate (33.3%) were crimes against society, while crimes against people only registered a slight increase of about one percentage point.

The only types of crimes to go against the rising trend were those not classified under the previously mentioned types and which are related to several forms of legislation.

In this particular, the general rate has registered a drop of 6.8% although one item (Cybercrime) has rocketed, growing some 141.1%. Crimes that dropped included crimes of helping and lodging illegal immigrants (-38.1%) as well as drug consumption (-45.5%) and shame marriage (-32.9%).

According to the Secretary, noting the growth in the majority of types of crimes, he said that regardless of the growth seen, the crime levels at the end of June this year were still lower than in 2019.

Violent Crimes 47% up

The chapter dedicated to Violent Crimes notes a general increase of 47% in these types of crimes, with theft (+240%), kidnapping (+200%) as well as arson, homicide, and ‘other crimes against human life,’ all registering figures double those from the same period in 2022.

Among these, the growth in the crimes of rape (20 cases in six months, amounting to an increase of 42.9%) and sexual abuse of children (18 cases in 6 months, or one case more (+5.9%) than in 2022), is notable.

Disobedience topping

ëCrimes Against

the Territoryí

According to the Security authorities, the type of crimes that grew more were those ‘against the territory,’ which include the crimes of paying false declarations and disobedience. The second led the growth of these types of crimes with an increase of 65.7% to a total of 111 cases in just six months; that is, almost two cases every three days.

False declarations were also up but by 31.8%, with a total number of 58 cases.

House robberies soaring

A rare crime during the pandemic when many border restrictions were in force, home robberies soared in the first semester of this year, with a total of 21 cases recorded by the police authorities. The figures account for a growing rate of 950%; whereas during the same period last year only two cases of this type of crime had been reported.

Another of the crimes growing exponentially since the reopening of the borders was theft by pickpocketing, which during the first half of 2023 recorded a growth of 348.6% to a total of 157 cases.

The theft of motorcycles has also registered significant growth with a year-on-year growth of 193.8% to a total number of 47 cases this year, compared to 16 in 2022.