The data is part of the 2025 crime report for the region, which was released only on the website of the Office of the Secretary for Security, Chan Tsz King, without the usual press conference. In a statement, the office confirmed that it will no longer hold quarterly press conferences to present the data, “to increase the transparency of information” and contribute “to peace and harmony.”
Nevertheless, the statement acknowledges that “the respective dissemination efforts will be carried out in person whenever necessary.” The report also reveals that the number of illegal gambling offenses in Macau more than quadrupled compared to 2024, reaching 570. The document does not explain the increase in illegal gambling offenses.
In October 2024, the law combating illegal gambling crimes came into effect, introducing “the new crime of ‘illegal currency exchange for gambling’ and expanding the scope of coverage for certain crimes related to illegal gambling.”
Law enforcement agencies also stopped releasing data on fraud involving telecommunications and the Internet. The report mentions only a 19.5% drop in fraud overall and a 42.7% drop in cybercrime.
Read more: Macau currently monitored by 1,700 security cameras: secretary
Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them Chinese, have been trafficked to centers in Southeast Asia, where they are forced to defraud their compatriots online, according to a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released in August 2023. About 100,000 people were trafficked to Cambodia and at least 120,000 to Myanmar (formerly Burma), the report noted.
Overall, Macau’s police forces recorded nearly 13,500 criminal offenses in 2025, a 5.9% decrease from the previous year, primarily due to a 10.5% drop in property crimes, including robbery, theft, and fraud.
In a separate statement, Chan Tsz King’s office noted that the video surveillance cameras installed on the city’s streets helped solve 9,766 crimes last year, 42 more than in 2024.
During the first five phases of Macau’s Video Surveillance System, known as “Eyes in the Sky,” more than 1,920 cameras were installed throughout the region. The sixth phase of “Eyes in the Sky” will include the installation of an additional 800 video surveillance cameras by the end of 2027, including 120 in Zone A, the statement said.
