Fewer burglaries and robberies due to better policing and prevention
The number of so-called quick-cash crimes, such as robbery and burglary, fell last year for the first time in a decade. Such crimes fell to 2,237 last year from 3,215 in 2003 - a 30.4 per cent drop, police records show. The 1994-2003 10-year average was 3,891.
There was a total of 7,002 burglaries last year, a drop of 2,074 cases - or 22.9 per cent - compared with 2003. The average over 1994-2003 was 9,971 burglaries a year.
Police commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai said yesterday there were several reasons for the falling rate.
'I must congratulate our frontline colleagues because their work has proved effective,' he said. 'Every year we ask our frontline officers to focus their resources to tackle these crimes and we feel it is working.'
The police chief felt education on prevention of such crimes had been successful. Past experience had also shown the number of quick-cash crimes would fall when the economy improved.
Although last year witnessed an 8 per cent drop in the overall crime number - from 88,377 crimes to 81,215 - there was an increase in categories such as rape and domestic violence.