A total of 94,747 crimes were reported in 2024, representing an increase of 5% compared to the figure for 2023, Police said today.

The upsurge was mainly attributed to an increase in deception cases.

The overall detection rate was 30.4%, similar to that of 2023.

Leaving deception cases aside, the overall crime figure recorded a drop of 185 cases last year, while the detection rate rose by 1.7 percentage points to 47.9%.

There were 10,485 cases of violent crime, registering a rise of 3.6% - primarily driven by the rise in “naked chat blackmail” cases.

Apart from deception and blackmail, another major crime of rape recorded an increase.

A number of traditional crimes record a lower case load in 2024, with the detection rate for robbery and snatching cases hitting a record high.

Deception cases rose 11.7% year-on-year in 2024 to 44,480, accounting for 46.9% of the overall number of crimes. Among them, 61.8% were Internet-related.

The rise in deception cases was mainly attributed to the emergence of the new modus operandi of telephone deception involving “Impersonating Customer Service” since early last year. A total of 5,575 cases of such modus operandi were reported in 2024.

As to the national security situation, since the National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance came into force, as at the end of December 2024, Police's National Security Department arrested a total of 316 people, with 60% having been charged.

Looking forward, Police will focus this year on safeguarding national security, working to combat deception cases and ensuring that the 15th National Games will be conducted in a safe and orderly manner.