The Secretary for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, said deployment in Macao of electronic surveillance cameras in secluded areas and places of potential risk, was believed to have had a positive effect in terms of deterring crime.

The Secretary mentioned – during a press conference on Monday (25 November) to discuss crime statistics and police enforcement statistics over the first nine months of 2019 – progress regarding installation of a citywide electronic surveillance system known as “sky eye”.

The fourth phase of its installation – involving an aggregate of 800 surveillance cameras in several secluded areas and places of potential risk – would be completed in the first quarter of 2020.

The electronic surveillance system played a crucial role in police investigation of criminal matters, Mr Wong said. Camera locations for planned fifth and sixth phases would be finalised by the first quarter next year, with those phases due to become operational in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Upon completion of the sixth phase, Macao would have a total of 2,600 such cameras, covering the most densely-populated places, including areas adjacent to schools, public transport terminals and commercial facilities.

Macao’s police authorities would study whether there were a need to strengthen the city’s surveillance system in places including: the artificial island on which stands the Macao boundary crossing point for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge; the new Qingmao checkpoint linking Macao’s northern district to Zhuhai, and other newly-developed areas, stated Mr Wong.

Regarding crime statistics and police enforcement statistics, the number of suspected crime cases reported in Macao up to the end of September 2019 saw a year-on-year increase of 0.4 percent, to 10,598 cases. Instances of the most serious forms of crime – kidnap, murder and grievous assault – continued to be either non-existent, or extremely low in number.

Reported gaming-related crimes saw a year-on-year increase of 19.5 percent, due to a rise in the logging of cases such as false imprisonment, loan sharking, and transfer of counterfeit banknotes, in the vicinity of casino resorts.

The Secretary said the increase in reports of crime was due to a strengthened enforcement effort on gaming-related crime. The stepped-up enforcement effort was in order to ensure successful organisation of celebrations and events.

According to the Secretary, the security authorities had no intelligence to suggest the city’s gaming industry had somehow had any negative influence on community security, nor could any irregularity be linked to organised crime activities.

Mr Wong additionally said most of gaming-related instances of crime involved suspects and victims from outside of Macao. To this end, the police would step up cooperation with neighbouring countries and places for the exchange of intelligence.

On 28 October, Macao had – in partnership with Zhuhai authorities – dismantled an organised crime group involved in various alleged criminal acts such as usury, false imprisonment, use of other’s identification, and forging of documents. In that operation, 38 people were detained and 5.5 million Hong Kong dollars were seized.