“In addition, marine police will also carry out nighttime patrols in the city’s southern waters,” police said.
The force said on Friday that a government helicopter and police drones were being deployed to conduct aerial surveillance until Sunday.
Police are carrying out a four-day air, land and sea operation on Hong Kong Island to help prevent burglaries over the summer while some residents are away on holiday.
Uniformed and plain clothes officers would also carry out high-profile patrols and searches in the countryside of the Mid-Levels area as well as the hillsides and the woods near housing estates in Southern district.
“Officers will strategically set up roadblocks at different locations during different times to intercept suspicious vehicles or individuals,” the force said.
Police said the operation, which began on Thursday, was part of their efforts to step up patrols over the summer as burglary cases could spike during long holiday periods.
Officers reminded residents to ensure their homes were properly secured when leaving the city or simply heading out.
“They should try to avoid leaving valuables and large sums of money in their flats,” the force said.
Police added they would continue to maintain close communication with the community, undertake intelligence-led and strategic deployments, and conduct high-profile patrols at irregular times to combat theft.
The force launched the operation two days after detectives from the Hong Kong Island regional crime unit arrested a male visitor from mainland China in connection with four reports of burglaries.
About HK$80,000 in cash and valuables were stolen in the thefts in Aberdeen, Eastern district and Sau Mau Ping earlier this month.
In a separate case about four weeks ago, officers were called to an upscale house on Mount Kellett Road on The Peak when a domestic helper, 55, found the premises had been burgled. A window was broken and there were signs of ransacking in the master bedroom.
It was not known what items were taken because the helper’s employer was out of town.
Police handled 604 reports of burglary across the city in the first five months of this year, a 37.3 per cent increase from 440 cases logged in the same period in 2023.
The city recorded 4,237 cases of violent crime between January and May in 2024, a 9.4 per cent rise compared with 3,872 reports in the same period last year.
Authorities installed 15 sets of surveillance cameras in Mong Kok in March as part of a plan to have 2,000 set up by the end of 2024, with a focus on densely populated zones and high-crime areas.…Read more by Clifford Lo
