Wong Sio Chak (left)
Violent crime cases have increased over the past year, rising by 8.4 percent year-on-year, according to figures released on Friday by the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak. Authorities recorded a total of 811 violent crime cases in 2014 (up from 748 cases in 2013), which include crimes of extortion, rape, drug trafficking and abuse, robbery and child sexual abuse.
Extortion-related crimes were recorded as having one of the highest surges, rising 50.7 percent year-on-year and numbering at 34 more cases than in 2013. Mr Chak revealed in a press conference on Friday that “nude chat” cases, which are included in the extortion category, rose significantly.
The secretary recalled that Macau authorities only started recording this type of crime in July 2013. Since then, the number of cases has “skyrocketed”. “We might have had this type of crime before, but only in 2013 did we start receiving complaints involving ‘nude chats.’ It’s generally young people [involved], but victims’ ages range from 18 to 50 years old. Almost all victims are male,” he revealed.
After being asked if authorities would consider suggesting severer penalties to help combat this manner of crime, Mr Chak pointed out that penalties are already quite severe. This is because charges related to “nude chats” may entail prison time of up to eight years.
He acknowledged that “nude chats” – as a form of Internet crime – are difficult to investigate. He also admitted that victims, although conscious of the fact that they’re being deceived, initially agree to participate in nude chats and are later blackmailed.
A total of 60 cases of “Skype sex extortions” were reported in 2014, double the 30 recorded in the previous year, with victims usually engaging in an Internet video chat while naked. The victims are typically later blackmailed into paying the other party a specific amount of money in order to avoid having their nude images propagated online. Cases reported last year even involved students and professors.
Instances of rape recorded an increase of 37.5 percent, as authorities recorded 33 cases last year, against 24 in 2013.
Drug trafficking, on the other hand, was down by 15.2 percent in 2014, figures show, while drug abuse dropped by 51.7 percent. Last year, cases of drug abuse totaled 157, whereas authorities had recorded a total of 325 cases in 2013. Drug trafficking declined from 231 cases in 2013 to 196 last year.
The Secretary stressed that authorities have paid great attention to drug trafficking and abuse cases, and efforts to combat these crimes have been successful. However, thee issues are still of great concern among Macau society, “and authorities need to work on measures and policies” to tackle the problem, he added.
Juvenile delinquency is another matter of concern, as crimes involving youth rose by 27.5 percent. “We cannot deny that a more divided society, [along with] the amount of information people get hold of through the Internet, the gaming sector, and the attention families pay to their children… all those elements [might play a role in juvenile delinquency],” Mr Chak said, adding that society in general, as well as families, schools and authorities, all have a role in combating crimes committed by young people.
Among these crimes, young people driving under the influence (DUI), mainly in the form of drunk driving, is of great concern to authorities, the Secretary said. Mr Chak revealed that his office is considering revising penalties that are applied to DUIs. It is likely that this will be one of his office’s priorities in the 2015 Policy Address.
Regarding human trafficking, the secretary told reporters that there were five cases last year. However, in only one case were authorities able to take suspects into custody, namely four people from Tanzania. Mr Chak said that this type of crime had decreased in frequency.
The secretary also confirmed what the head of the Judiciary Police had revealed earlier this month: casino-related crimes have increased over the past year, possibly due to the industry’s “readjustment phase”. Gaming revenue declined month-on-month since last July.
In 2014, criminal activity in general increased by 2.4 percent, as authorities recorded a total of 14,016 cases. A total of 4,796 people were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), more 35 than in the previous year.
wong sio chak pledges more supervision over police forces
The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, has revealed that his office plans to focus on reinforcing supervision of police forces in the 2015 Policy Address, which will be delivered and discussed next month and throughout April. As there have been crime cases involving police officers recently, Chak told a press conference on Friday that the office is planning to review current disciplinary mechanisms for handling cases of misconduct. He pledged “a more serious” training and management regime for police forces.
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