Why do real-life crime stories often hit the bestseller list? People enjoy reading about the outrageous deeds of others.
And that's just as true in academe. 'Crime sells well at universities,' said Harold Traver, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong's (HKU) Sociology Department.
'Crime and criminology courses are the bread and butter of sociology departments everywhere,' said Dr Traver, who helped establish HKU's postgraduate criminology programme in 1986. The university's Master of Social Science in Criminology and its Bachelor of Social Science in Criminal Justice are both popular.
He said what was interesting about crime patterns on our doorstep was that, as the economy took off, so did crime.
All the major indicators of a prosperous society - such as job opportunities, a burgeoning education system and a healthy gross domestic product - have been increasing since the 1960s. And so has the prison population.
In the 30 years to 1990, for example, violent crime soared. Figures from Crime and Justice in Hong Kong (edited by Harold Traver) point to a 722 per cent increase in serious assault, while robbery was up 3,000 per cent.
