ENG-2007 — Page 357

Public Order 1 301

Enforcement action against illegal bookmaking remained a high priority. In 2007, 317 anti-bookmaking raids were conducted. 309 people were arrested and betting slips valued at $350 million were seized. Illegal bookmaking activities remained under control.

Domestic Violence

Combating domestic violence

violence continued to be a police priority. The Commissioner of Police's 'Operational Priorities 2007' affirmed the Police's commitment to handling and investigating all reports of domestic violence.

The Police received 7 509 reports of domestic violence during the year, 2 505 of which were crime-related and 5 004 were miscellaneous cases, representing a rise of 59.6 per cent compared with 2006. The increase reflected the heightened public awareness of domestic violence as a result of the Government's publicity and education campaigns as well as people's greater readiness to seek early assistance and intervention.

The Police continued to improve measures for tackling domestic violence. To engage domestic violence cases at early stage to prevent them from escalating, officers underwent special training to be more effective in dealing with domestic violence. In addition, a Central Domestic Violence Database is being developed to give frontline officers a fuller picture of offenders, or potential offenders so that preventive action can be taken before violence occurs. The database is expected to go into operation in 2008.

Commercial Crime

The Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) continued to implement a structured intelligence-based approach in carrying out investigations into syndicated and serious frauds, counterfeit and forgery cases, as well as technology crimes.

In 2007, incidents of serious fraud, counterfeit currencies and credit card usage were kept at reasonably low levels. Offences perpetrated by street deception gangs, especially so-called 'spiritual blessing' deception, declined throughout the year. The combined effect of keeping an eye on suspects, extensive publicity campaigns and heavier penalties imposed on these street gangs resulted in a rise in detection and a drop in reported losses in 2007.

Technology Crime

The number of technology crimes in 2007 was 634, a decrease of 14.4 per cent compared to 741 in 2006. Online game-related cases involving the theft of virtual weapons continued to account for the majority of reported technology crimes. However, the total loss in money terms increased by 69.6 per cent to $10.56 million. The increase was due primarily to one detected on-line auction fraud case involving $5.03 million.

The Technology Crime Division (TCD) of CCB continued to strengthen its links. with local and regional strategic partners throughout the year. A number of cases, including the uploading of child pornography, were detected by TCD as a result of exchange of intelligence and close cooperation with its overseas counterparts.