ENG-2013 — Page 317

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Public Order

CCB hosted a commercial crime conference in Hong Kong titled 'E-Crimes Without Borders - E-Crimes Sans Frontières' attended by over 100 delegates from Asia Pacific and Europe.

Technology Crime

With the ever-increasing application of technology in daily life, Hong Kong has seen an increase in technology crime (from 3,015 cases in 2012 to 5,133 in 2013, an increase of 70.2 per cent), including the exploitation of emails, social media and mobile device applications to commit crime. This is being tackled through close co-operation with overseas law enforcement agencies and private sector partners, as well as education of the public on crime prevention.

The Cyber Security Centre plays an important role in protecting critical infrastructure against cyber attacks, ensuring that Hong Kong's cyber security situation remains stable.

Dangerous Drugs

In 2013, the police tackled drug problems with a multi-faceted approach encompassing assistance from the community in disrupting illegal drug trafficking at different levels.

Ketamine and Methamphetamine continued to be the most commonly abused drugs, accounting for 58 per cent of the 5,542 persons arrested for dangerous drugs in 2013.

To tackle crimes perpetrated further afield, the Narcotics Bureau (NB) maintained its strategic partnership with the Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies (LEAs). These joint efforts led to the dismantling of three drug production sites and seizure of 677 kilograms of illegal drugs in the region.

The emergence of new drugs continued to pose challenges to regulators and LEAS around the globe. Co-ordinated by the Security Bureau, the NB has been working closely with other departments to devise timely and effective intervention strategies.

Financial Investigation

The Joint Financial Intelligence Unit (JFIU) and the Financial Investigations Division (FID) under the NB proactively combat money laundering and terrorist financing activities and 134 people were convicted of money laundering offences in 2013, with $873 million of criminal assets. restrained and $684 million confiscated.

Through its website and the publication of quarterly analysis, the JFIU provided the public, regulators and Suspicious Transaction Reporting entities with the latest information on money laundering and the emerging trends. The JFIU and the FID continued to participate in international conferences of the Financial Action Task Force, the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the Egmont Group of Financial intelligence Units, and organised two international financial investigation courses for 68 participants from Hong Kong and 13 other jurisdictions.

Forensic Support

The Identification Bureau played an important role in supporting crime investigations and prosecutions by providing fingerprint collection, firearms examination, photography services

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