Macao reported 3,289 criminal cases in the first three months of this year, down by 7.3 percent (260 cases) year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Office of the Secretary for Security.
The report shows that violent crimes accounted for a mere 56 cases, dropping by 27.3 percent (21 cases) against the first quarter of 2024. Nine out of the 10 sub-categories of violent crimes experienced a decrease between January and March of this year, with the sole exception being sexual abuse against children, which increased from 4 cases in 2024 to 5 cases in 2025.
In terms of property-related crimes, 1,949 cases were recorded in the first quarter, accounting for almost 60 percent of the total. Year-on-year, this figure represents a drop of 10.8 percent (237 cases). Of these property-related crimes, 555 were scams, down by 15.4 percent (101 cases) when compared to 2024.
Crimes against persons were the secondest highest type of misdemeanour, making up 17.2 percent of the total. Some 565 of these cases were registered, an increase of 0.2 percent (1 case) against the same period last year. Of those, 293 were simple assault cases, down 12.7 percent year-on-year.
Meanwhile, unclassified crimes earned third place, with 16.3 percent of violations. There were 535 crimes of this category recorded in the first quarter, up by 3.9 percent (20 cases) year-on-year. The sub-categories with the highest totals included illegal gambling, computer crimes, and illegal entry or stay, which saw 161 cases (up 906.3 percent), 160 cases (down 43.2 percent) and 85 cases (down 30.3 percent) in the first quarter respectively.
[See more: Macao’s crime rate grew by 6 percent in 2024]
At a press conference this morning, the secretary for security, Wong Sio Chak, provided more details regarding gambling-related crimes, telling the media that there were 567 such cases in the first quarter, a surge of 61.5 percent year-on-year.
Wong explained that the significant increase was due to the revision made to Macao’s law on illicit gambling activities last October, which added more stringent guidelines, including one aimed at cracking down on unlawful money exchange.
During the event, the secretary also revealed that Macao’s CCTV systems had helped law enforcement with 2,302 cases during the first quarter, including ones involving grievous harm to persons, robbery and arson.
The day before, the deputy director of the Judiciary Police, Sou Sio Keong, said that local law enforcement was achieving success in the fight against fraud – an increasingly prevalent crime in Macao and the surrounding region.
He noted that the police dealt with 1,260 cases of computer and telecommunication scams in 2024, a drop of 1.4 percent year-on-year. As well, the authorities managed to reduce the funds lost to around 232 million patacas (US$28.7 million), a decrease of 28.4 percent in comparison to 2023.
