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Martin Wong

Cases of domestic violence jumped 120 per cent in the first three months of this year, a surge attributed largely to victims being more willing to report incidents to police.

Overall, crime rose 4.6 per cent year on year, with 20,149 incidents documented in the period.

Speaking after a Fight Crime Committee meeting, Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong,  said: 'Hong Kong is a secure and safe city.'

Domestic violence cases rose to 1,780, from 807 in the first three months of last year.

Mr Lee said victims were more likely to report incidents thanks to extensive media coverage of some recent high-profile cases.

'People are encouraged to come forward,' he said. 'Not every case involves the use of force.'

The security chief said the police force was now more competent to handle domestic abuse cases thanks to a wide range of initiatives, prompted initially by the stabbing to death in 2004 of a Tin Shui Wai woman and her two children by the woman's husband, who then killed himself. She had sought police help.

'Different departments interact with others very well. Social workers will also be called in when there is the need,' he said.

Welfare sector legislator Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung agreed there had been progress, but said  studies showed that only one in every 100 victims comes forward.

'Social workers really feel it is a big concern and the number of serious cases is increasing,' Dr Cheung said. It may be due to  change in society. Many people really live under pressure and it may lead to a rise in family violence.'

While the government had often said it was concerned about the situation, Dr Cheung said he could not see what had actually been done.

He urged the government to put more resources into the problem.

'More proactive measures, such as deploying social workers in child-care centres and pre-schools, to identify families and children at risk, are needed,' he said.

Drug seizures, while accounting for a small proportion of overall crime, were also up sharply. Seizures of cannabis rose from 27 in the first quarter of last year to 194 in the first three months of this year, and seizures of the  drug Ice from two to 28.

Mr Lee attributed these increases to a stepped-up effort by police and customs officers to  deal with crime by raiding vice spots.

In the spotlight

The government attributes a 120 per cent rise in domestic violence cases to media coverage

The number of cases reported  to police from January to March 1,780



Domestic violence cases surge by 120pc