ENG-2014 — Page 313

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Public Order

Crime

Reported crimes in 2014 totalled 67,740, a decrease of 7.1 per cent compared with 72,911 in 2013. The crime rate stood at 935 cases per 100,000 population, a drop of 7.8 per cent compared with 1,014 in 2013. The decrease was mainly due to a drop in miscellaneous thefts, burglary, wounding and serious assault, and criminal damage. The number of violent crimes. decreased to 11,073, a drop of 8.9 per cent compared with 12,153 in 2013.

In 2014, there were 309 cases of robbery, a drop of 38.2 per cent compared with 500 in 2013. The last reported case of robbery with genuine firearms was in 2006. Regarding non-violent crimes, burglaries decreased from 3,573 in 2013 to 2,700, a decline of 24.4 per cent, while overall thefts decreased from 31,598 in 2013 to 28,596, a drop of 9.5 per cent.

Of the reported crimes, 43.4 per cent (or 29,392 crimes) were detected, resulting in the arrest of 33,679 persons. Among these, 1,510 were juveniles aged between 10 and 15 while 2,814 were young persons aged between 16 and 20. Arrests of youths were mostly for wounding and serious assault, shop theft, miscellaneous thefts and serious drug offences.

The number of triad-related crimes decreased to 1,643 compared with 2,035 in 2013, a drop of 19.3 per cent. This type of crime accounted for 2.4 per cent of all reported crimes during the

year.

During the World Cup 2014 in June and July, the police mounted operations against illegal gambling activities, resulting in the arrest of 176 persons, and seizure of a record high of $13 million cash and betting slips amounting to more than $750 million.

Commercial Crime

The Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) continued to tackle serious and complex frauds, technology crimes and counterfeiting of monetary instruments in Hong Kong and overseas. In 2014, the overall commercial crime situation remained stable.

The CCB continued to foster co-operation with its local, regional and international partners to combat cross-boundary commercial and technology crimes. During the year, the police collaborated with international law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in various multi-jurisdictional enforcement operations.

Technology Crime

The Technology Crime Division (TCD) of the CCB co-ordinated the Police Force's efforts in combating technology crimes. As a member of the INTERPOL 'Eurasian Working Group on Cybercrime, the TCD played an active role in international collaboration against cross-boundary technology crimes.

Dangerous Drugs

In 2014, the police tackled drug problems with a multi-faceted approach encompassing assistance from the community in disrupting drug trafficking at different levels.

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