Macau's top security official yesterday reported an increase in thefts, forgeries, false statements and domestic violence as the main factors behind an 8.9 per cent rise in the number of crimes reported in the first quarter of the year.
Secretary for Security Cheong Kuoc-va also attributed the rising crime rate to an increasing number of people who want to make quick money by stealing property.
The figures presented by Mr Cheong show Macau recorded 2,398 crimes in the first three months of the year, an increase of 8.9 per cent from the 2,203 reported in the first quarter last year. About 55.8 per cent of all crimes reported in the first quarter were crimes involving property.
The number of violent crimes, including robberies, totalled 264 from January to March, a 12.8 per cent growth on the same period last year. Police reported two murders in the first three months, one more than in the same period last year.
Macau's security forces referred 697 suspects to the public prosecution service for further investigation and possible arraignment in the first quarter, a drop of 4.8 per cent on the same period last year. Under Macau law, suspects are charged by the courts, not the police.
Macau, which has 442,000 residents and recorded 11.53 million visitor arrivals last year, reported an average of 27 crimes a day in the first quarter.