Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) recorded a total of 7,025 crimes in the first half of 2015, down 0.9 percent from the prior-year period, according to Wong Sio Chak, Macao SAR's secretary for security on Friday.
Wong said at a press conference that the security status of the region remained stable due to the low rate of serious violent crimes.
He said figures showed that cases of drug trafficking and drug abuse declined by 33.9 percent and 50 percent year-on-year respectively; however, crimes such as usury and kidnapping have seen a rising trend in casinos.
But Wong noted that there was no notable evidence to show the downturn in the gaming industry resulted in negative impacts on public security.
The security authorities will pay close attention to any possible situation that may occur, and take effective measures to prevent and crack down on crimes, he added.
