"The Macao police moved effectively to fight against kidnapping, arson and drug trafficking," Secretary for Security Cheong Kuoc Va said while delivering the report Tuesday.

Fifty-nine criminal cases committed by young people were recorded in the six-month period, representing a drop of more than 30 percent.

Police repatriated 762 Chinese inlanders and 319 foreigners who entered Macao illegally, down 36.1 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively.

But the number of inlanders who overstayed in Macao with overdue certificates rose 13.6 percent to more than 7,200, according to police statistics.

The total number of registered criminal cases stood at 4,472 from January to June, remaining at a similar level compared with a year earlier. Those involving infringement upon personal safety and property went up slightly.

In 2001, criminal cases diminished 0.2 percent year on year to 8,900 in this special administrative region.

Authorities from local security departments have vowed to exert greater efforts and consolidate links with the neighboring Guangdong and Hong Kong police to take action against crimes.

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2002)