Hong Kong Police Launch Anti-Crime Elite Games to Promote Safety and Awareness Among Youth

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games

The Anti-Crime Elite Games, organised by the Crime Wing of the Hong Kong Police Force, is being held today and tomorrow (October 18 and 19) at the West Kowloon Cultural District. Through various activities incorporating sports elements, the event aims to disseminate messages about anti-drugs, child protection, cyber security, anti-deception and anti-money laundering.

Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Chow Yat-ming, stated that given the complex and ever-changing crime landscape, collaborative efforts from all stakeholders, not just the Police, are required to effectively prevent and combat crime, as well as safeguard the growth of young people.

In the first eight months of this year, the number of youths arrested for criminal offenses has continued to improve, showing a 10 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year, totalling 1 742 individuals. Notably, arrests related to money laundering and deception have seen declines of 50 per cent and 32.4 per cent respectively. However, arrests related to serious drug offences and indecent assaults have increased by 45.2 per cent and 33.3 per cent.

Mr Chow stated that etomidate has become the most commonly abused drug among different age groups, followed by cannabis and cocaine. He emphasised that drug abuse remains drug abuse, regardless of the circumstances. It is not a trendy activity, and one should not mistakenly believe that trying it once is harmless. In addition to continuing to strengthen law enforcement, including targeting online drug trafficking, the Police will continue to nurture young anti-drug leaders through the Leadership Institute on Narcotics (L.I.O.N.), promoting a drug-free culture in communities, schools and families.

In regard to child protection, the Police are concerned about issues such as children being sexually extorted or defrauded online, and even being sexually assaulted. In the first eight months of this year, 57 cases of “online child sexual grooming” were recorded. Mr Chow appealed to schools and parents to collaborate in equipping young people with self-protection awareness and helping them understand the risks of the virtual world. The Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse Ordinance will come into effect on January 20, 2026. The Police have been proactively launching publicity and educational initiatives to help professionals understand their roles and responsibilities, with a view to establishing an effective safety net to protect children from abuse and ensuring the timely handling of child abuse cases.

A total of 28 379 deception cases were recorded in the first eight months of this year, while the monetary loss decreased by 14.5 per cent year-on-year to $5.02 billion. Mr Chow stated that the Police, along with various stakeholders, have adopted a comprehensive strategy to combat and prevent deception cases, which gradually shows results. However, the number of cases remains high, with some involving significant financial losses. The Police constantly refine their strategies, including strengthening efforts to dismantle the fraud industry chain, enhance anti-scam publicity, and foster international co-operation. Additionally, the Police will launch an optimised version of the Scameter+, featuring automatic updates to the fraud database and real-time AI detection and reporting to expedite warnings to the public.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 270 phone scam cases involving post-secondary students, with losses over $100 million. In the new academic year, the Police have strengthened anti-scam publicity targeting post-secondary students, including co-ordinating with institutions to encourage new students to complete online learning modules and organising over 30 seminars and activities. The Police will continue to work closely with the banking industry and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to promote anti-scam awareness and implement various anti-deception measures.

Mr Chow also reminded members of the public to heed the Police’s anti-money laundering warnings and always remember not to be greedy for bargains, as well as not to rent, lend or sell their personal bank accounts. The Police will collaborate with the Department of Justice to expedite prosecutions of money laundering cases and apply to the courts for enhanced penalties. In the first eight months of this year, 122 individuals convicted of money laundering have had their sentences increased by the courts, with sentence durations extended by over 30 per cent at maximum. In 2024, 44 convicted individuals had their sentences increased by the courts.

Mr Chow expressed sincere gratitude to community leaders from the Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation and the L.I.O.N. for their support to the Anti-Crime Elite Games, as well as the participation of various public and private organisations and schools, that contributed to the building of a safer community and safeguarding the next generation of Hong Kong.

Other officiating guests at the kick-off ceremony included the Chairman of the Hong Kong Shine Tak Foundation, Mr Lam Kwok-hing; the Principal President of L.I.O.N., Mr Kerry Wong; the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Mr Yip Wan-lung; the Director of Crime and Security, Mr Chan Tung, etc.

In addition to game booths, the two-day event also features music performance, dancing, magic shows, Police Pipe Band parades and demonstrations by the Police Dog Unit. The participating units from the Crime Wing include the Narcotics Bureau, the Family Conflict and Sexual Violence Policy Unit, the Commercial Crime Bureau, the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, as well as the Financial Intelligence and Investigation Bureau. For details, please visit the Anti-Crime Elite Games webpage (www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/04_crime_matters/adcc/aceg2025.html).

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Police hold Anti-Crime Elite Games Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKMA publishes Project CargoX Recommendation Report

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (January 19) published the "Project CargoX Recommendation Report", which presents 20 recommendations and a roadmap for modernising the trade finance landscape in Hong Kong.

Since the launch of Project CargoX (Note), the HKMA has convened an Expert Panel on CargoX comprising 24 industry experts from banks, cargo data providers, credit reference agencies, export credit insurers, government agencies and international organisations (the member list is available in the Annex). The Expert Panel has contributed valuable insights and concluded the CargoX recommendations and development roadmap in December 2025.

With the vision of maintaining Hong Kong's position as a leading trade financing hub, powered by a robust, globally connected digital trade infrastructure, the report outlines a roadmap for taking forward the recommendations. The HKMA will play a critical role in implementing the roadmap through collaboration with relevant public and private organisations in a series of pilot trials.

Informed by extensive research and industry engagement, a total of 20 recommendations, structured under three strategic pillars of Data, Infrastructure and Connectivity, are put forward in the report:

Data: this pillar focuses on accelerating data-enabled trade finance automation. By integrating strategic government cargo and trade data along with infrastructure, and enabling access to historical trade transaction data, banks'assessment of corporate creditworthiness can be facilitated. This will increase the availability of trade finance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Infrastructure: this pillar seeks to facilitate the development of digital trade infrastructure to enable paperless trade both in Hong Kong and with overseas trading partners.

Connectivity: this pillar prioritises enhancing connectivity with other jurisdictions including Chinese Mainland and ASEAN, and implementing relevant policies to maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness as a trade and trade finance hub.

Deputy Chief Executive of the HKMAMr Howard Leesaid, "Project CargoX marks a pivotal step in modernising Hong Kong's trade finance ecosystem by integrating advanced digital solutions, optimising cargo and trade data connectivity through our next-generation Commercial Data Interchange infrastructure, and strengthening international links. The recommendations of the CargoX Expert Panel provide a strategic blueprint and actionable roadmap to position Hong Kong as a trusted, data-driven hub for global digital trade. I extend my sincere thanks to the CargoX Expert Panel members, drawn from a rich diversity of experiences spanning both public and private sectors, for their exceptional insights that have shaped this transformative initiative."

The full report is available on the HKMA website.

Note: In April 2025, building on the Commercial Data Interchange data infrastructure, the HKMA launched Project CargoX, a multi-year initiative that aims to enhance the digital ecosystem for trade finance by harnessing the power of cargo and trade data.

HKMA publishes Project CargoX Recommendation Report Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

HKMA publishes Project CargoX Recommendation Report Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases