Crime reports increased 4.6 percent in first nine months

Wong Sio Chak (center left, stage)

The latest crime statistics, released yesterday, show that the police authorities filed 10,826 criminal reports from January to September of this year. This figure represents an increase of 479 cases (4.6 percent) compared to the same period last year.

Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak said that 2,170 crimes were committed against individuals, representing a 7.7 percent increase. These incidents consisted primarily of cases commonly known as illegal imprisonment, a category which saw an increase of 41 cases, an increase of 13.3 percent.

Property crimes saw a slight decrease of 0.04 percent, corresponding to a total of 5,697 cases. Both robbery and fraud reports have decreased remarkably by 16.5 percent and 36.2 percent, respectively. Usury and blackmail saw a relatively significant increase, specifically 45 percent and 20 percent, respectively.

Regarding so-called “crimes against society,” a total of 751 cases were reported, being an increase of 17.5 percent. In particular, crimes of counterfeiting legal tender increased by 60.6 percent.

The number of forged statements increased by 11.8 from last year. There were also 306 cases (20.7 percent decrease) related to the employment of illegal migrants or harboring them.

Moreover, cases that involved drug dealing and drug usage increased by 8.9 percent and 27.3 percent, respectively.

Regarding violent crimes, there were 608 cases registered in total, representing an 8.4 percent increase. Some 349 of these cases were related to illegal imprisonment, which alone represents 57.4 percent of the total number of violent crimes.

According to authorities, there were no murders in the first nine months, although three people died while illegally imprisoned. As Wong explained, one of the victims died when attempting to escape and two other people committed suicide during their imprisonment.

In the nine months, 5,542 people were arrested and forwarded to prosecution, an increase of 1,343 people, or 32 percent, compared to last year.

Regarding juvenile delinquency, 39 cases were reported, two less than last year; 59 individuals involved in these cases were minors, 11 less than last year.

According to the released data, human smuggling and overstaying in the city significantly dropped to a total of 1,247 occurrences.

The police force recorded 3,038 cases related to violation of transportation regulations, a steep drop from the 4,050 cases registered last year, down 24.9 percent.

As many as 1,125 cases involved overcharging by taxis, while 1,081 cases related to drivers refusing to take passengers. The two figures represent 37 percent and 35.6 percent, respectively, of the total number of transportation infractions. Julie Zhu