Wednesday, July 30, 2014, 15:32
Overall crime rate in HK dips
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| Hong Kong police are pictured at the entrance of a local police college where crowd control drills are conducted in Hong Kong on June 25, 2014. (AFP PHOTO / Philippe Lopez) |
Robberies were down overall. However instances of blackmail nearly doubled with 422 cases reported in the first half.
There were 4,372 cases of deceptions – with most of the cases involving internet and telephones scams - up 22 percent compared to 3,585 cases in the first half of 2013, Director of Crime and Security Lo Mung-hung said.
The number of reported rapes was 22 in the first six months of the year, compared to 59 in the same period of 2013.
Methamphetamine seizures soared 125 percent with 180 seizures in the first half of this year, while ketamine was the most frequently seized controlled substance with 205 cases compared to 112 in the first half of last year.
Crimes committed by mainlanders - excluding cases of sex workers or illegal employment - reported a 14 percent rise at 786 cases. Nearly double the number of sex workers were arrested in the first half of the year with 2,266 people arrested compared to 1,480 during the same period in 2013.
Just over 630 mainlanders were arrested for employment infractions, down 35 percent from 969 in the first half of 2013.
