Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee said crime figures in January fell 11% from the same period last year, mainly due to the reduction in shop thefts, car thefts and deception cases.

He told the media after the first Fight Crime Committee meeting in 2004 that serious crimes also dropped 18%, due to the fall in serious wounding and extortion cases.

Task force to tackle pickpockets

But the number of pickpockets has grown about 60%. Mr Lee said Police are studying the causes for the rising trend. Meanwhile, Police have set up a special task force in blackspots, such as Yau Tsim Mong District, to tackle the problem. They have also stepped up patrols.

Mr Lee noted that only a few pickpockets were visiting Mainlanders.

HK to liaise with Mainland authorities

On reports concerning Mainland visitors engaging in begging activities in Hong Kong, Mr Lee said from November 24, to February 15, Police had prosecuted just 12 such cases.

"Although the number is not too large, we take it quite seriously and we will definitely take it up with relevant Mainland authorities and try to provide them with relevant information to stop these people from coming to Hong Kong again and to see if there are really syndicates arranging these people to come to Hong Kong," he said.

HK no haven for human smuggling

Mr Lee refuted reports that Hong Kong has been a place for mass transit of illegal immigrants. He said such kind of accusation is "unfair".

As Hong Kong is a transportation hub in the region, every day thousands of passengers pass through the city. Some of them stop in Hong Kong en route to other places whose airports have lax supervision. And then from there, they go to their destination.

"The Immigration Department has deployed a lot of resources at our international airport to stop this kind of traffic. And that is why many illegal immigration syndicates have purposely avoided using Hong Kong as the staging port to go to other places," he said.

HK still a safe city, law and order stable

Hong Kong investigators cooperate with their counterparts in other parts of the world in exchange of intelligence and to see the exact route these human smuggling syndicates are using. If necessary, they will provide training to their counterparts to help stem illegal immigration activities.