The number of crimes recorded in the first quarter of this year saw a slight decrease of 1.4% compared with the same quarter last year: violent crimes were down by 18.9%.

Releasing the crime statistics for the first quarter of 2009 at a press conference today, the Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, said Macao remained a secure and stable city.

The total number of crimes recorded in the period stood at 3,298, also down 1.4% year on year.

The number of violent crimes went down by 18.9% to 163 cases, two of which were homicides. There had been no reports of abduction since the first quarter of last year.

The number of robbery and loan sharking cases also went down by 29.8% and 11.1%, transferring counterfeit money and forgery by 47% and 42.5%.

Blackmail and drug abuse cases increased by 18.5% and 54.8%, and violation of order and assisting and employment of illegal immigrants by 43.3% and 19%.

The police also caught 41,672 illegal immigrants and overstayers in the first quarter. Among the overstayers, 11,594 (+5,570) were Mainland visitors who had entered Macao under the Facilitated Individual Travel scheme, and 26,428 (+14,036) were Mainland visitors with other identification documents. There were 3,206 (+2,778) foreign visitors who overstayed and 444 (+89) illegal immigrants from the Mainland.