Macau Records 13.9% Crime Rate Drop in 2022, the Lowest Since Pre-pandemic

The total number of reported crimes in Macau has dropped by 13.9% year over year to 9,799 in 2022, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak announced in a press conference at S. Francisco Barracks last Friday. This was the first face-to-face press conference the department held since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.

The crime-case statistics recorded by the police showed that 2022 had the lowest record compared to the previous years — 2019 (14,178), 2020 (10,057), and 2021 (11,376).

About 153 cases of violent crime were reported to the police, a 40% decline from 2021, 37% from 2020, and 77.3% from 2019. The department added that the most serious forms of violent crime, such as kidnapping, murder, and aggravated assault, are extremely rare, and the city remains a secure and safe place.

Wong noted, however, that while crimes such as fraud and extortion decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, internet-related crimes like personal data theft have been increasing. He said the authorities will step up to combat cybercrime and continue their crime prevention campaigns in the local communities.