The number of criminal cases uncovered by police authorities in Macau rose by 8.9 percent between January and September this year.
In a press conference held on Friday, the Secretary for Security, Cheong Kuok Va, also revealed that drug trafficking crimes have increased by 94.7 percent, with 89 more registered cases in comparison to last year’s figures.
“We believe this increase has to do with the reinforcement of police patrols and further exchanges of information between different authorities, and so we have been able to uncover more cases,” Cheong Kuok Va said.
“The majority of the cases are related to ketamine and cocaine” he said.
Between January and September, 183 cases of drug trafficking were registered, representing an increase of 89 cases when compared to the same period last year. Crimes related to the consumption of drugs have also risen with 246 cases registered, 47 more than in 2012.
In August, the Secretary for Security revealed that authorities were planning to add five additional drugs to the list of forbidden psychotropic substances.
On Friday, Cheong Kuok Va explained that the proposal had already been sent to the Executive Council for appreciation. If approved, it will be submitted to the Legislative Assembly.
Regarding “crimes against life and society,” cases involving falsification of documents, as well as the usage of counterfeit currency, registered an increase of 44 percent.
During the press conference, Cheong Kuok Va also declared that property crimes have decreased over the last nine months.
Authorities registered a total of 2880 theft cases, 158 less than last year. Robbery crimes have also decreased from 130 (in 2012) to 102 (in 2013), representing a drop of 5.2 and 19.2 percent respectively.
Also on the decline were cases of juvenile delinquency.
Between January and September, authorities registered a total of 36 cases, in comparison to 68 last year. The number of young people involved in such crimes also decreased by 48 percent.
In addition, the number of foreigners overstaying their visa decreased by 6.2 percent. On the contrary, the amount of mainland China citizens overstaying their individual visas rose by 1.7 percent, and by 20 percent in the case of other types of visas or documents.
The Secretary for Security added that 3614 individuals were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office, an increase of 589 in comparison to last year. (macaunews)
