Two-month ‘Thunderbolt 14’ operation concluded

The Unitary Police Service (SPU) has concluded the two-month long anti-crime operation “Thunderbolt 14”, with 539 people being handed to the Public Prosecution Office (MP).
The operation – jointly organized by the police authorities in Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong – sought to improve regional security. This year, police personnel from the three areas have stressed the need to tackle illegal activities such as triad activities, drug dealing, human trafficking, procuring and money laundering.
The operation in Macau was coordinated by the SPU and was carried out by the Public Security Police and the Judiciary Police. The police authorities have performed a total of 750 inspections on multiple local entertainment premises such as casinos, karaoke bars, Internet cafés, billiard establishments, hotels and hostels, arcades, spas, saunas and nightclubs.
During the operation, the police investigated into 18,600 people and detained 1,582 of them for further investigation. They also discovered 413 criminal cases.
Moreover, after investigation and identification, the authorities deported 827 people. Most of them were deported due to their involvement in criminal activities. There were also individuals who were found to have entered Macau illegally.
When commenting on the success of the operation, the SPU assistant to Commissioner General João Augusto da Rosa said that it has successfully improved the security of Macau, which he said is shown in the fact that there were only minor crimes found during the operation.
Moreover, Mr Augusto da Rosa said that the authorities were unable to compare the figures of the operation this year with that from operation “Thunderbolt 13” in 2013 because the operation this year was carried out for an extra month. “We did not provide the comparison this year because the operation this year has lasted for almost one month longer… We believe that this operation has improved the security of Macau because the police authorities felt that it has been quieter during this Christmas season,” he said. JPL