Criminal investigation cases rise 13% in 2021

Police opened files of 11,376 criminal investigation cases throughout 2021, up 13.1% from the previous year, according to the Office of the Secretary for Security under the SAR government.

A total of 255 cases of violent crimes of kidnapping, murder, or serious assault were registered in the region in 2021, a rise of 4.9% over 2020, the office said yesterday, concluding that the public security situation for 2021 remained stable in general.

Meanwhile, police intercepted 372 people entering Macau illegally during the past year, a drop of 39.1% from 2020.

Statistics showed that 1,307 cases of fraud were reported in 2021, up 29.8% from a year earlier, including 524 fraud cases related to the internet, accounting for 40.1% of the total. Around 800 cases of computer crimes were registered in 2021, 50.7% higher than in 2020.

The local police also cooperated with their mainland counterparts to successfully bust a group involved in cross-border usury crimes, arresting over 40 members in a joint operation in December 2021.

The office said due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of traditional criminal cases with physical contact had shown a downward trend from 2019 to 2021, whereas online crimes climbed rapidly for the past two years.

The office vowed to continue stepping up the prevention and crackdown of illegal criminal behaviors and adjusting police force deployment and law enforcement strategies promptly to guarantee the social prosperity and stability of the city.  MDT/Xinhua