The first six months of 2003 saw a significant drop in the number of serious and major crime in Hong Kong despite a 19 percent increase in overall crime.

Hong Kong's Director of Crime and Security Chau Foo-cheong gave the above remarks at a press conference Tuesday to review the crime situation in Hong Kong between January and June this year.

"Despite the increase in overall crime, Hong Kong remains one of the safest cities in the world," Chau said.

During the period, a total of 43,894 cases were recorded, representing an increase of 19 percent over the 36,894 cases in the same period of 2002.

However, the number of serious and major crime such as homicide (down 3 percent), robbery (down 247 percent), missing vehicle (down 13 percent), wounding (down 64 percent), rape (down 19 percent), triad-related activities (down 137 percent) and drug abuse (down 150 percent) registered a significant drop.

Noting that there was a general increase in the number of "quick cash crime" such as snatching, pick pocketing, shop theft, theft from vehicle and miscellaneous theft, Chau said that the police spared no efforts in the fight against these kind of crime.

Chau pointed out that the police had achieved satisfactory results in the fight against triad activities; the abuse of psychotropic drugs among youngsters and violent crime and would continue to crackdown on the "quick cash crime" and illegal activities committed by illegal immigrants and two-way permit holders.

In the first half of 2003, the city witnessed a fall in the number of robbery of all kinds (down 14.3 percent to 1,483 cases). Bank robberies dropped 39.1 percent to 14 though goldsmith/watch shop robberies registered a marginal increase of one case, bringing the total number to four, according to Chau.

(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2003)