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Crime in Hong Kong is present in various forms. The most common crimes are thefts, assaults, vandalism, burglaries, drug offenses, and triad-related crimes. In 2011 Hong Kong had the lowest murder rate in the world.
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Statistics
In the year 2015, crime dropped to a 36-year low for Hong Kong. There were 10,889 reported incidents of violent crimes in Hong Kong. Hong Kong had 22 homicides, 5,360 incidents of wounding and serious assaults, 223 robberies, 2,579 burglaries, and 70 rapes. In the 2000s, the number and rate of murders was the highest in 2002. 2011 had the lowest rate and number of murders, at 17 (0.2 murders per 100,000 people; lowest in the world). 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 form of crimes in Hong Kong are non-violent crimes. 27,512 reports of thefts were made in Hong Kong in 2015. The most common forms of thefts were miscellaneous thefts, shoplifting, pick-pocketing, and vehicle theft. Criminal damage is also a common crime in Hong Kong, with 5,920 reports in 2015.
Organized crime
Crimes committed by triads occur in Hong Kong. Common triad-related offenses include extortion, illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and racketeering. One of the world's largest triads, Sun Yee On, was founded in Hong Kong in 1919, and has 55,000 members worldwide. Sun Yee On's rival organization, 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 organized crime groups known as the Wide Awake Firm and the Inter City Jibbers that specialize in jewelry thefts and picking pockets have also been known to operate in Hong Kong.