Crime rate rises by 6% in 2024, driven by illegal gaming and cybercrime

The crime rate in 2024 increased by 6%, according to a report released by the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, in a press conference yesterday.

The report highlights significant increases in crimes, such as illegal gaming and cybercrime scams, which contributed the most to this overall increase.

These types of crimes are included in the subsection “Crimes not classified in other sections,” which reported a 24.5% year-on-year increase, recording 430 more cases than in 2023, totaling 2,186 cases.

As the Times confirmed in an inquiry to Secretary Wong, the high number of illegal currency exchange cases (for gambling) significantly contributed to the 389.3% spike (+109 cases) recorded under the “illegal gaming” category.

The police have been cracking down on this activity, particularly since the new law on illegal gaming activities took effect in late October 2024, reclassifying the offense from an administrative violation to a criminal offense.

According to Wong, 89 cases of illegal currency exchange for gambling were prosecuted in just two months, through December 31 last year. He also noted that 141 individuals were detained in these 89 cases. The report also noted an additional 10 cases of the activity that were not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence linking the currency exchange to the gaming industry.

Wong also clarified that other offenses were detected besides illegal currency exchange, including illegal betting.

The crime of illegal gaming totaled 137 cases, with illicit currency exchange accounting for approximately 65%.

Cybercrime rose 71.6% year-on-year, with 414 more cases reported than the previous year. Of the 992 cases recorded in 2024, most were related to internet fraud and credit card data theft, which continue to rise, in contrast to phone scams, which declined.

Authorities noted a sharp increase in online fraud cases related to investment, ticket purchases, and online shopping.

Security authorities reported that of the 777 cyber fraud cases, 689 were related to online credit card payments. They stressed that “it is necessary to reinforce public awareness on this issue.”

Due to the rising number of scams involving online purchases through local mobile applications, Wong said the Judiciary Police (PJ) has met with local suppliers and the Macao Catering Industry Association to conduct several community outreach efforts. These initiatives aim to educate merchants on the scam tactics and help them better protect themselves and their clients.

Violent crimes rising above average

Despite notable declines in certain violent crimes, including a 75% drop in homicides and a 38.9% decrease in child sexual abuse cases, overall violent crime rose 7.4% in 2024.

The increase was largely driven by grievous bodily harm cases, which jumped 400% (from one case in 2023 to five in 2024) and kidnappings, which increased by 48.8%. Thefts involving violence also rose by 29.7%.

Although the increase in rape cases was smaller in percentage, authorities expressed concern due to the nature of the crime.

Rape cases rose 17.1%, with 48 reported incidents in 2024.

Addressing this issue, the Secretary downplayed the rise, stating that “in more than 60% of the cases, victims were not Macau residents, and most incidents occurred in hotel rooms. Some cases may have been linked to sexual transactions.”

In the past, authorities have suggested that some rape reports were “false claims” used to attract police attention or intimidate suspects. These cases were often linked to financial disputes, casino-related debts, or extortion attempts.

Wong also noted that some incidents involving resident victims occurred “after they had been drinking in bars, and in some cases, the victims and suspects were acquainted.”

To reduce the occurrence of rape cases, Wong stated that police will continue strengthening prevention efforts through community liaison programs and awareness campaigns on personal safety.

He also emphasized the importance of police inspections in casinos and surrounding areas to combat prostitution-related crimes.

Wong revealed that in 2024, 195 such operations were conducted, leading to 10 cases of prostitution exploitation involving 17 suspects.

Additionally, 193 individuals were arrested for suspected prostitution, linked to 16 cases of prostitution-related crimes.

2025 security stats to focus on y-o-y comparisons

During the presentation of Macau’s 2024 crime statistics report, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak announced that security authorities will no longer compare crime data to pre-pandemic figures.

Starting with 2025 crime reports, statistics will only be compared to the previous year’s data, rather than 2019.

Wong stated that two years after border reopenings and the full resumption of economic activities, Macau has returned to normal operations. Therefore, he argued, comparisons with pre-pandemic figures are no longer relevant.