Judiciary Police (PJ) Director Wong Sio Chak announced Tuesday that the number of scam-related crimes increased drastically in 2013, with phone scams increasing from 14 in 2012 to 133 last year while Internet scams rose by 93 percent from 175 cases in 2012 to 338 last year.
Wong made the statement in the PJ headquarters, as he summed up Macau’s crime rates for 2013, commenting that this clearly shows that citizens need to be more vigilant, alert and need to think clearly when facing unforeseen situations and make the right judgments.
In addition, he also noted that the number of crimes that took place in casinos also increased from about 2,000 cases in 2012 to nearly 2,600 cases in 2013, with most of them being thefts.
Wong suggested it is likely due to the increase in the number of gamblers visiting Macau. “As the gaming industry continues to grow… with the opening of another three to four casinos in 2016, we are prepared to enforce the law … to be more efficient [tackling gaming-related crimes].”
Meanwhile, Wong disclosed that police have obtained information on the counterfeit HK$ 1,000 bank of the bogus notes.
On the issue of human trafficking, Wong commented while a majority of the victims were tricked into coming to Macau to work in the sex industry, a number of them came of their own free will only to find that their bosses would not allow them to leave when they wanted, adding that some of the victims were transferred to the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) but they refused help. He indicated that the issue might not be as serious as suggested.
Asked about the prospect of imposing a measure requiring netizens to use their real identities when making statements or comments online, Wong said police had been aware that while some might welcome the proposal, a sizeable number of people are opposed to the idea due to fears that their privacy will be breached. However, Wong did not specifically say that police had dropped the plan, only saying he respected public opinion.
In addition, reporters enquired about the possibility that he may succeed Cheong Kuoc Va as the next Secretary for Security, but Wong did not give a definite answer regarding the validity of such report, only replying that his heart is with the Judiciary Police and he cherished his time there, saying he feels his work has been recognised and supported by his peers.(macaunews)
