In 2025, Hong Kong reported a total of 89,137 criminal cases, marking a 5.9 percent decrease from the previous year, Hong Kong’s Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said on Tuesday.

During a Legislative Council meeting on law and order in Hong Kong in 2025, Chow said that violent crimes had also seen a 15.9 percent decline, at 8,823 cases.

In his report, Chow said that deception cases, which constituted 48.5 percent of all crimes in 2025, totaled 43,212 — a reduction of 2.9 percent from 2024 — marking the first decline following a consistent increase from 2019. Total losses from those cases decreased from HK$9.2 billion ($1.7 billion) to HK$8.1 billion, an 11.3 percent drop.

Online investment fraud led to the most substantial financial losses, with 5,135 cases — 11.9 percent of all fraud incidents — resulting in losses of HK$3.58 billion, representing 44 percent of the total. The average loss per scam rose from HK$580,000 in 2024 to HK$700,000 in 2025.

Notably, 80 percent of the victims were approached by scammers using social media platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The police are enhancing their collaboration with these companies to encourage the proactive identification of suspicious accounts and content.

The use of artificial intelligence is being expanded to analyze and block suspicious websites reported by citizens, alongside strengthening international cooperation to tackle cross-border fraud.

Juvenile delinquency has also seen a decline, with 2,662 arrests for criminal offenses, a 6.3 percent decrease and the lowest figure on record.

Robbery cases have significantly decreased by 27 percent to 66 instances, the lowest since 1969. Burglaries also saw a substantial reduction, with 816 reported cases compared to 1,220 in 2024, a 33 percent decrease. There were 68 cases of rape and 1,281 serious drug-related crimes.

The National Security Department arrested 385 individuals, with more than half of them having already been prosecuted. Chow pointed out that coordinating with foreign forces to endanger national security is considered a very serious crime, with law enforcement committed to taking stringent legal action against such offenses.

Contact the writer at irismuk@chinadailyhk.com