Crime in Hong Kong is present in various forms. The most common crimes are thefts, assaults, vandalism, burglaries, drug offenses, sex trafficking, and triad-related crimes.
| Crime rate | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide total | 35 | 17 | 27 | 62 | 27 | 22 | 28 | 24 | 48 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 30 | 28 | ||
| Homicide rate | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| Violence total | 13546 | 13100 | 12821 | 12153 | 11073 | 10889 | 10103 | 9086 | 8884 | 9690 | 9391 | 9587 | 8830 | 10122 | ||
| Violence rate | 192 | 185 | 180 | 169 | 153 | 149 | 138 | 123 | 119 | 129 | 125 | 129 | 120 | 135 | ||
| All crime total | 75965 | 75936 | 75930 | 72911 | 67740 | 66439 | 60646 | 56017 | 54225 | 59225 | 63232 | 64428 | 70048 | 90276 | ||
| All crime rate | 1075 | 1074 | 1064 | 1014 | 936 | 909 | 825 | 758 | 728 | 789 | 842 | 869 | 961 | 1204 |
In the year 2018, crime dropped to a 39-year low for Hong Kong. [1] There were 8,884 reported incidents of violent crimes in Hong Kong at that time. In 2018, Hong Kong had 48 homicides, 4,593 incidents of wounding and serious assaults, 147 robberies, 1,575 burglaries, and 63 rapes. After 2018, crime rate are increasing every year (as of 2023). In the 2000s, the number and rate of murders were the highest in 2002. 2011 had the lowest rate and number of murders, at 17 (0.2 murders per 100,000 people). The homicide rate increased 129.6% in 2013 from 2012 though this was due to the inclusion of 39 deaths from the Lamma Island ferry collision.
The most common forms of crime in Hong Kong are non-violent crimes. There were 27,512 reports of theft in Hong Kong in 2015. The most common forms of theft were miscellaneous thefts, shoplifting, pick-pocketing, and vehicle theft. [2] Criminal damage is also a common crime in Hong Kong, with 5,920 reports in 2015.[3]
Crimes committed by triads occur in Hong Kong. Common triad-related offenses include extortion, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and racketeering.[4] One of the world's largest triads, Sun Yee On, was founded in Hong Kong in 1919 and is reported to have 55,000 members worldwide.[5] Sun Yee On's rival organisation, 14K Triad, was formed in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China in 1945, and relocated to Hong Kong in 1949. According to British criminal Colin Blaney in his autobiography Undesirables, British organised crime groups known as the Wide Awake Firm and the Inter City Jibbers that specialise in jewelry thefts and picking pockets have also been known to operate in Hong Kong.[6]
Hong Kong is a known transit city for human trafficking; victims are often coerced into forced labour or sexual exploitation.[7] [8]
Domestic and transnational criminal organizations carry out sex trafficking in Hong Kong.[7] [8] Victims of forced prostitution are often assaulted in brothels, homes, and businesses in the city.[9] [10] [11] [12] Many mainland Chinese prostitutes in Hong Kong are victims of sexual trafficking.[13] There is no comprehensive anti-human trafficking law in Hong Kong.[14] [15]
There have been reports of systematic racism in Hong Kong against non-Chinese or "dark-skinned" citizens.[16]
See also: Hong Kong slang and Culture of Hong Kong. Knife crimes and attacks in Hong Kong is an issue. In 2022, local media such as Channel C coined the term "Chinese: 國際大刀會", which can be translated literally as "international knife metropolis", to describe a spike in knife attacks in the city.[17] [18] [19] [20]
In 2022, fraud cases rose 45 percent compared to the previous year. The first five months of 2023 saw an almost 60 percent increase in fraud cases.[21] [22] [23] There have been reports of human traffickers forcing Hongkongers to work in overseas fraud factories.[24] [25] Victims are often forced to commit cyber scams, and are at risk of violent retaliation from their traffickers if they fail to perform. [26]