Public Order 303
In all, there were 870 robberies, a drop of 20.9 per cent compared with 1 100 in 2008. As in the previous year, there was no case of robbery
no case of robbery with genuine firearms. There were six bank robberies, a drop of four compared with 10 in 2008. Most of these crimes were committed by lone robbers.
The number of non-violent crimes was also down. Burglaries decreased from 4 774 in 2008 to 4 489, a drop of 6 per cent, while thefts fell from 35 230 in 2008 to 34 554, down by 1.9 per cent.
Of reported crimes, 45.6 per cent (or 35 426 crimes) were detected, resulting in the arrest of 40 725 persons. Of this number, 4 006 were juveniles aged between 10 and 15 and 4 684 were young people aged between 16 and 20. Most were arrested for shop thefts, miscellaneous thefts, wounding and serious assaults, and serious narcotics offences. During the year, six firearms were seized, compared with seven in 2008.
The number of triad-related crimes showed a decrease to 2 351 compared with 2 376 in 2008. This type of crime accounted for 3 per cent of all reported crimes. during the year. To tackle triad activities, a large-scale tripartite anti-triad operation involving the police forces of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao was mounted in the second half of 2009 with a total of 1959 persons arrested in Hong Kong for various crimes.
There were 1 115 cases of taking conveyance without authority, a drop of 18.4 per cent or 252 cases compared with the previous year. Cases involving motorcycle and light goods vehicle decreased by 23.1 per cent and 26 per cent in 2009. The decreases were attributable to vigorous enforcement actions taken by the Police as well as joint efforts with the Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies.
Domestic Violence and Child Protection
To reinforce protection and support for victims of domestic violence, in early 2009 the Police extended 'Victim Management', which originally was applicable only to serious domestic violence cases, to all domestic violence related cases handled by crime investigation units.
Apart from domestic violence, the Police also spared no effort in preventing and combating all forms of child abuse and continued to work closely with other government departments and non-governmental organisations to promote child protection. During the year, in collaboration with the Social Welfare Department, the Police provided training in identifying and handling child abuse cases to students of the Hong Kong Institution of Education, court prosecutors and government counsels of Department of Justice. To address local needs, the Police also organised large- scale promotional campaigns on child protection at district level.
Commercial Crime
To maintain a safe and stable business environment in Hong Kong, the Commercial Crime Bureau continued to implement a structured intelligence-based approach in its investigations into syndicated and serious frauds, counterfeit and forgery cases, and other technology crimes.
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