Illegal immigrants from central China - more desperate and opportunist than their southern counterparts - were yesterday blamed for a violent crime surge in the northern New Territories.
The influx of immigrants from provinces such as Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan was cited as a major factor behind the 31.5 per cent increase in woundings and serious assaults in the region last year.
Police regional commander Assistant Commissioner Felicia Wong Leung Kam-shan, who announced a 13 per cent increase in all violent crimes, including murder and rape, said northern illegal immigrants were posing a serious problem.
She said: 'Illegal immigrants from the south tend to have relatives here and are less prone to violence. While they have shelter and contacts to try to get employment, those from the north don't have anything.
'There has been a noticeable increase in illegal immigrants from these provinces. They resort more to violence and are interested in quick cash crime.' Ms Wong said illegal immigrants from all areas were generally using more desperate means to get into the territory, with the latest trend being to cling to the underside of container lorries crossing through the Man Kam To and Lok Ma Chau border control points.
While Ms Wong cited a 14.2 per cent increase in illegal immigrant crime in 1995, arrests of illegal immigrants in the region were down by 19.3 per cent over the same period.
