Violent crimes increase by 24.2% in Q1 y-o-y

The number of violent crimes in the first three months (Q1) of this year has continued to increase, according to a quarterly report from the Secretariat for Security presented yesterday.

According to the official figures, violent crimes have increased year-on-year by 24.2%, with 15 more cases in Q1 this year than in 2023.

Kidnapping cases recorded the highest growth, rising 1,300% year-on-year, from just one case in 2023 to 14 cases this year.

A concerning increase in rape cases was also recorded, with 14 cases reported in Q1, an increase of 55.6%.

Other violent crimes such as bodily harm and other offenses against physical integrity also registered growth, although the number of cases recorded was relatively small (1 or 2).

The increase in violent crime was only somewhat offset by a decrease in homicide, arson, and sexual abuse of children, with the last type dropping 60% (from 10 to 4 cases).

Property crimes showed a general increase of 23.9%.

Usury crimes surged by 655.6%, pickpocket thefts by 146.3%, and scams by 50.8%. Notably, there were 656 scams in Q1, an increase of 221 or an average of over seven cases per day this year.

The crime category with the highest overall increase in general was miscellaneous crimes, which are not related to a specific category but rather include various offences under different laws.

This category recorded growth of 37.3%, driven mainly by cybercrimes and fraudulent documents related to fake marriages and work contracts for residency permits.

Cybercrime recorded an increase of 97.9% in the number of cases to 186, while the forged documents for residency purposes increased by 37% (37 cases).

Drug consumption cases also increased slightly, with one more case reported (from 3 to 4).

At the press conference, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, acknowledged the increase in crime but noted that the figures might be inflated due to the resumption of normal border traffic, which only took full effect in February 2023. This makes the 2023 comparison base abnormally low, which in turn makes this year’s figures appear higher. He added that in most cases, crime rates in Macau are still below pre-pandemic levels, except for scams which are now 231.8% higher than Q1 2019.

Crimes of extortion also surged in 2024 even when compared to 2019, being 80% higher than pre-pandemic times.

Wong noted that, in general, the increase in crime is related to the “continuous increase in the crime of fraud, and in particular fraud using telecommunications and cyber fraud, [which is] a common issue globally.”
Despite higher figures for violent crimes, the Secretary concluded that since “the numbers recorded [now] were significantly lower than in the first quarter of 2019, this leads to the conclusion that the prevention and combat measures applied by the police have had an effect.”

52 attempted suicides in Q1

Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, also presented data on suspected suicides investigated by the Judiciary Police.

A total of 52 suspected suicides have been recorded in the first quarter of this year, involving 20 males and 32 females, slightly lower than last year’s figure.

22 cases related to the ingestion of various drugs or chemical compounds.

Most cases (29) involved individuals aged between 15 and 34 years old.

During the first three months of the year, the city saw 22 suicide cases, according to the report.

In Q1 2023, authorities recorded 68 cases of attempted suicides.