Macau sees drop in overall crime, spike in gambling-related offenses

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak chairs a press briefing on crime figures in Q1, yesterday

Crime statistics for the first quarter of this year indicate a decrease in overall crimes in Macau, yet there has been a year-on-year increase in gambling-related crimes linked to currency exchange gangs.

In the first quarter of 2025, Macau’s police force initiated 3,289 criminal investigations, a year-on-year decrease of 260 cases, or a 7.3% decline.

The breakdown shows various types of offenses –  565 against individuals, 1,949 related to property, 141 concerning public order, 99 affecting the local community, and 535 categorized as other offenses not specified.

“In the first quarter of 2025, Macau experienced a decrease in total crimes compared to the same period in 2024, with the overall security situation remaining stable and favorable. Serious violent crimes, drug-related offenses, and crimes impacting people’s livelihoods, such as theft and robbery, were all lower than in the previous year.

Furthermore, there has been a noticeable downward trend in fraud and computer crimes,” Wong Sio Chak, the Secretary for Security, stated during a press conference yesterday.

As he highlighted, the total number of fraud cases reached 555, with theft cases at 508 and robbery cases totaling 10. Usury cases, commonly known as loansharking, accounted for 53, while there were 33 cases of extortion.

Common assault comprised 293 cases, alongside 10 incidents of rape, five cases of sexual assault against children, and eight cases of false imprisonment. Computer crimes totaled 160 cases, and drug trafficking and sales each accounted for 12 cases.

In contrast, following the effect of the illegal currency exchange for gambling offense in October 2024, the first three months of this year saw 161 cases of illegal gambling, a significant increase from the 16 cases recorded in the same period last year.

Other newly reported cases include five instances of sexual assault against children, an increase of one case compared to last year, and 26 preliminary investigations into domestic violence cases, up by two cases from the same period last year. As of May 12, four of these cases had been confirmed as domestic violence offenses.

“These primarily involve consensual sexual acts between peers and the transmission of explicit images or videos,” Wong explained regarding the increase in sexual assault cases against children.

A separate report on the impact of the gaming industry on public security points out that gaming-related criminal investigations rose to 567 in the first quarter of this year, marking an increase of 216 cases, or 61.5%, compared to the same period last year.

The Secretary attributed this surge primarily to the rise of currency exchange gangs, with 132 related cases constituting over 60% of the new incidents.

Fraud cases linked to illegal currency exchange dealers remained notably high, totaling 152, accounting for about 26.8% of the overall figures. A total of 679 suspects were identified, including 526 from mainland China, alongside residents from Macau, Hong Kong, and other foreign nationals.