ARINE DEPARTMENT LIBRARY
Simple Larceny
94. Simple larceny includes all those offences of theft which are not specially classified and this heading accounts for the largest proportion of the Colony's crime. During the year 7,585 such offences were recorded, a marked reduction as compared with last year's total of 10,261. Of these offences 3,703 were cleared up. Many of these offences were extremely minor ones committed by persons in dire need and included thefts of food, clothing and items of very small value.
Fraud
95. Included under this heading are offences of stealing by trick, as bailee and as a servant; obtaining credit by means of fraud; obtaining property by false pretences; fraudulent conversion and embezzlement. Many of the cases reported involved business frauds necessitating prolonged inquiries and were dealt with by the Commercial Crime Branch. A total of 1,439 offences of fraud were reported during the year, a reduction of seventy one on the total for 1956/57. 1,097 or 76% of the total reported cases were cleared up. Property to the value of $1,903,833 was obtained by means of fraud and property valued at $61,055 was recovered.
Forgery
96. There were sixty six reports of such offences as compared with 178 during 1956/57, process being taken before the Courts in fifty seven cases. Two cases involving foreign currency were successfully investi- gated. In one of them, a gang of coiners who were engaged in the counterfeiting of Malayan 20 cent coins and Hong Kong 50 cent coins were apprehended; in the second, a party of forgers were arrested in possession of a quantity of forged notes and the necessary equipment for the forgery of United States $20 bank notes.
97. Much of the serious crime in the Colony can be attributed to Triad Societies and the most energetic measures were continued to remove the threat to the community constituted by these criminal gangsters. The volume of information gained regarding their activities in the Colony has been substantially increased and provides a firm basis for further action. During the year many senior officials were arrested and action taken under the Emergency (Detention) Regulations.
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