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Burglary cases in Hong Kong have begun to decline following targeted air and ground operations over the summer, with associated losses in the first nine months of this year down 48 per cent year on year, the police chief has said.
Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee on Saturday also reiterated the need to engage young people who had taken part in the 2019 protests against the now-shelved extradition bill, warning that “pushing our young into a corner” would only please politicians who incited teenagers.
Public concerns over burglaries had been stoked in the first quarter of the year, after data showed a 50 per cent increase in reports of such cases and 30 per cent of losses. A high-profile break-in of former police chief Andy Tsang Wai-hung’s home also brought the issue into the spotlight.
Tsang’s home in Tai Po was burgled last Sunday, resulting in the loss of more than HK$400,000 (US$51,460) in cash and valuables. Two men, aged 31 and 36, holding Hong Kong and Macau Travel Permits, were arrested on charges related to burglary, criminal damage, and assaulting an officer.
Siu told a radio interview on Saturday that investigations revealed a pattern of burglaries targeting mostly residential areas, particularly village houses. In response, police have implemented extensive anti-burglary measures over the past six months, including increased patrols.
The force also launched community awareness campaigns, as well as high-altitude patrols by police drones and the Government Flying Service’s helicopters in the upscale neighbourhoods of Mid-Levels and Southern district.