Extra police are being drafted into Sai Kung this week to tackle a rising tide of burglaries which could outstrip the number of break-ins in central districts such as Mongkok. Thirty extra officers will be on patrol for the next week in a push to curb the crime wave, which is causing concern throughout the force. By the end of last week, there had been 119 burglaries in Sai Kung compared with 196 last year and 173 in 2002. Burglaries now account for nearly a third of all crime in the district, compared with 10 per cent of overall crime in Hong Kong. Divisional commander Mark Johnson said: 'We've had 19 burglaries so far in June alone. If it continues we might have 50 burglaries by the end of the month. Mongkok has 40 burglaries a month and it has a population of 250,000 to 300,000 people. In Sai Kung we have 55,000 to 60,000 people.' The crime wave has spawned a number of rumours about burglars using pepper spray, which Chief Inspector Johnson said was symptomatic of the public's increasing nervousness. 'These things generate fear and people shouldn't live in fear,' he said. 'They shouldn't be worried their premises will be burgled. 'Burglaries have been mostly non-violent so far. However, we have come across instances where we have found a knife taken from the kitchen [to] another room, and that worries us. We come across it in less than 5 per cent of cases but that is 5 per cent too many.' Chief Inspector Johnson said one reason burglary rates were on the rise was because landlords and tenants were too complacent. The Spanish-villa style homes that predominate in Sai Kung also makes it easier for break-ins, with 70 per cent of burglars forcing open sliding French windows. Patrols have been handing out window locks and $20 aluminium bars for tenants to slip into window runners at night to prevent them from being pried open. Chief Inspector Johnson said he was disappointed at the response of landlords and estate agents in the district, where a high percentage of homes are rented, to appeals to help police. 'We have asked them to put up crime prevention posters inside estate agents but they won't do it,' he said. 'We've asked them to give out crime prevention literature to tenants but they have refused.' Break-ins are being committed by a mixture of illegal immigrants, two-way permit holders and local Hong Kong burglars, he said. They often camp on hillsides overlooking their targets to see when the residents are out. When they break in they usually work quickly and target portable items of value, like laptop computers, mobile phones, cash and jewellery. 'The police are very, very concerned,' Chief Inspector Johnson said. 'The public have to realise they
