The overall crime situation in Hong Kong in the first half of this year saw continued improvement with a decrease of 4.2 per cent in the overall crime figure over the same period last year, said Director of Crime and Security Au Chi-kwong who co-chaired a media conference with Director of Operations Tang Ping-keung on July 26 to review the latest law and order situation.

During the period under review, a total of 28 309 cases of crime were recorded, representing a drop of 1 233 cases over the corresponding period last year, hitting a new low since 1979, Mr Au said.

Rape, indecent assault, deception & missing vehicles

There were a total of 4 503 violent crime cases recorded in the first six months of this year, a decrease of 8.9 per cent when compared with the same period last year.

Crimes with the number of cases that have risen included rape, indecent assault, deception and missing motor vehicles.

There were 32 rape cases in the first half of 2017, an increase of two cases over the same period last year. Twenty-eight cases were committed by acquaintances. Eight cases involved victims aged under 16. Twenty-nine cases were detected with the detection rate over 90 per cent.

In the first half of 2017, there were 518 indecent assault cases, an increase of 33 cases over the same period last year, and the detection rate was nearly 80 per cent. The victims of 10 cases acquainted the offenders via the Internet, a rise of 67 per cent over the corresponding period last year.

The Police attach great importance to sex crimes, and will keep on strengthening patrols and stepping up publicity and education to raise the self-protection awareness of the public, especially youngsters.

There were 3 561 cases of deception in the first half of this year, an increase of 193 cases compared with the same period last year. The rise was mainly driven by online business fraud which totalled 1 076 cases, an increase of 34.8 per cent, and involved a loss of HK$16 million.

The resurgence of street deception was noted. In the first half of this year, there were 54 cases, a fivefold increase; and the pecuniary loss rose sixfold to $5.8 million. Seventy per cent of the cases involved spiritual blessing.

In the first half of this year, there were 443 telephone deception cases, a rise of 33 cases compared with the same period last year; the pecuniary loss rose by 37.6 per cent to $147.25 million. "Pretend Officials" remained the major modus operandi, which recorded a rise of 66.5 per cent and totalled 293 cases. More than 60 per cent of the victims of the "Pretend Officials" deception were aged 30 or below, and over 30 per cent of the victims were Mainlanders staying in Hong Kong for study or work, or visiting relatives.

In this regard, the Police hosted the "Anti-Telephone Deception Week" in May this year. Renowned artistes were invited to act as Anti-Telephone Deception Ambassadors. New anti-telephone deception promotion videos were also broadcast in the MTR, buses, public housing estates, etc. The Police will also organise anti-telephone deception seminars for students of various tertiary institutions, especially for those who come from overseas.

Mr Au added, "For better co-ordination of resources in the Force to strengthen the efforts in combating telephone deception and enhance the anti-deception awareness of the public, the Commercial Crime Bureau has set up the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre and a round-the-clock 'Anti-Scam Helpline 18222' for public enquiries. The Police will closely monitor the operation and effectiveness of the Centre, and conduct review and adjustment so as to curb the surging trend of deception."

There were 262 missing motor vehicles in the first half of 2017, an increase of 80 vehicles compared with the same period last year. The rise was mainly stemmed from missing motorcycles.

Robbery, homicide & burglary

Crimes with the number of cases dropped included robbery, homicide, burglary, serious drug offences and technology crimes.

In the first six months of 2017, there were 90 cases of robbery, a drop of 50 cases over the same period last year. No genuine firearm was involved in robbery in the said period.

There were 11 homicide cases in the first half of this year, a decrease of four cases over the same period last year. Ten cases were detected. Most of the cases were triggered by relationship and family problems, land ownership disputes, grudges among neighbours and miscellaneous disputes.

There were 978 burglary cases, a drop of 228 cases or 18.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Serious drug offences & technology crimes

There were 836 serious drug cases (down 4 per cent) in the first six months of 2017. The Police successfully detected a number of drug trafficking cases, and closed down two large-scale cannabis plantations. Although the number of youths arrested for serious drug offences dropped by 32.6 per cent to 118 persons, the Police will keep on enhancing publicity and enforcement efforts, especially during the summer holiday.

Technology crimes also recorded a decline. There were 2 743 cases (down 7.2 per cent) in the first six months of 2017. The decline was mainly attributed to a decrease in "Naked Chat Blackmail".

Nonetheless, romance scams recorded a resurgence. There were 78 cases in the first half of this year, a rise of 31 cases or 66 per cent, and the pecuniary loss involved was about $36 million.

On June 21 this year, the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau partnered with three renowned anti-virus software companies and a number of public organisations and universities to launch the year-long Cyber Security Campaign. Virus scanning tools are provided by the anti-virus software companies and are available for members of the public to download for free. Cyber security preventive measures are promoted, and seminars are organised for schools and the public and private sectors to enhance their cyber security awareness.

Triad-related crimes, domestic violence & juvenile crimes

Mr Au also talked about some other crimes of interest.

There were 850 triad-related crimes (down 6.1 per cent) in the first half of 2017, constituting three per cent of the total number of crime cases and mainly involving wounding and serious assaults, serious drug offences and unlawful society offences.

In the first half of this year, there were 703 domestic violence (crime) cases (down 3.4 per cent); and 5 353 cases of domestic incidents with no violence involved (down 2.7 per cent).

There were 1 405 youths arrested for crimes in the first half of 2017, a drop of 22.4 per cent compared with the same period last year. They were mainly arrested for shop theft, wounding and serious assault, and miscellaneous theft.

"The Police will continue to take effective measures to prevent and combat such offences, including stepping up patrols and strengthening intelligence-led enforcement actions," Mr Au said, adding that the Police would pay close attention to new modus operandi and trends, and timely alert the public.

The summer holiday begins and it is also the job-hunting season for graduates. Mr Au appealed to the public, especially the youngsters, to be vigilant. "Do not carry suspicious or illegal articles for monetary rewards; do not lend bank accounts to others or subscribe bank accounts for others; do not recklessly sign contracts with or for others; and do not proceed with any advance payments regarding any allegedly lucrative jobs.

"There is no job making easy money in the real world. On the contrary, there are fraudsters preying on young job seekers. When looking for jobs, youngsters are reminded to stay alert and think twice. More importantly, do not be lured by culprits to commit crimes. Otherwise, you will not only incur monetary loss but may cause you regret for life. In case of suspicious situations, youngsters are advised to discuss with family members and report to the Police as soon as possible when necessary," Mr Au added.

Staying alert to terrorism

Also speaking at the media conference, Mr Tang noted that the Police have been keeping an eye on the global threat of terrorism, staying alert at all times and making timely preparation and deployment as necessary.

Mr Tang stated that terrorist activities were rampant around the globe in recent years and the modus operandi became increasingly diversified. As a metropolis, an international financial centre as well as a transport and communication hub, Hong Kong was also confronted with the worldwide threat of terrorism.

The counter-terrorism strategy of the Force involves four aspects, namely prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.

On prevention, the Police maintain close liaison with both the Mainland and overseas law enforcement and intelligence agencies in exchange of intelligence and threat assessment. Collaborative efforts are stepped up to combat illegal immigration and monitor boundary control points, with a view to guarding against terrorists.

In the meantime, high-profile uniformed patrols are carried out by police officers, including members of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit. The Force's Critical Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre strengthens self-protection and self-restoration capabilities of critical infrastructure. The Police also step up public education to enhance their awareness of terrorist attacks and major incidents.

On preparedness, training and multi-agency exercises are conducted regularly to enhance counter-terrorism contingency plans as well as ensure emergency preparedness. In the first six months of 2017, nine counter-terrorism exercises were held.

On response, in case of terrorist attacks, immediate intervention will be made by frontline officers. Other dedicated units will also provide professional support and carry out investigation.

As regards recovery, the Force will work with relevant government departments to promptly control the situation, minimise casualties and unnecessary social impacts, as well as to restore social order after the terrorist attack.

"There is no specific intelligence suggesting we will be under attack. At present, the overall terrorist threat level of Hong Kong remains 'moderate'," Mr Tang emphasised.

Enhancing road safety

Reviewing road safety in Hong Kong, Mr Tang said there were 7 657 cases of traffic accident in the first half of this year, representing a decrease of five per cent as compared with the same period last year. There were 57 cases of fatal traffic accident and 59 persons were killed with 34 of them were pedestrians.

Driving inattentively was the major contributing factor of traffic accidents. There were 2 157 cases of traffic accident involving driving inattentively in the first half of 2017, representing 28 per cent of total traffic accident cases, and about 40 per cent involved professional drivers.

"To change the undesirable behaviour of road users that caused traffic accidents, the Police will continue to take stringent enforcement actions according to the 'Selected Traffic Enforcement Priorities'. It is necessary to continuously enhance enforcement efforts, particularly against offences occurred at traffic accident black spots," he said.

In the first half of 2017, more than 830 000 summonses were issued against illegal parking across the territory, an increase of 14 per cent when compared with the same period last year.

Public events & community engagement

Regarding public events, Mr Tang said the Police handled 5 866 public events in the first half of 2017, representing an increase of 264 cases over the same period of 2016. The number of persons arrested arising out of public event conflicts dropped from 106 in the first half of 2016 to 40 in the same period of 2017.

Most of the public events were conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. Mr Tang explained, "It might be due to the enhancement of communication between the Police and public event organisers and the increase in transparency. This enables public event participants to better understand the reasons of the Police's arrangement in those public events. The co-ordination could ensure the activities carried out smoothly."

On engaging the community, the Police continue to optimise the use of the Internet and social media to maintain effective interaction with the community. In addition to disseminating Police information, in the event of emergencies, the Hong Kong Police Facebook page plays an important role in providing the general public with accurate and first-hand information.

Besides, the Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Centre cum Integrated Youth Training Camp is expected to officially open in the third quarter of 2017. Young people will be able to enhance leadership and management skills, physical fitness, the application of technology and their understanding of policing work at the training camp.

"With the support from the general public, we have achieved positive results in the first half of 2017 through preventing crimes, fighting crimes and maintaining road safety as well as public order," Mr Tang concluded.