HONG KONG – Theft cases on board aircraft to Hong Kong almost doubled this year, reaching 169 in the first 10 months of 2024 against 92 cases recorded in the whole year last year, according to government data. 

The stolen property were mostly cash in various currencies, expensive jewelry, watches, and credit cards, totaling about HK$4.32 million, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said in a written reply to a query in the Legislative Council on Wednesday.

From January to October this year, police arrested four persons of Chinese nationality on suspicion of theft on board airplanes, he said.

One of them is on remand pending trial, while another one has been released on bail pending further investigation. Charges against the remaining two persons were withdrawn as there was insufficient evidence or the witnesses were unwilling to return to Hong Kong to testify in connection with the incidents, added the secretary.

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Of the theft cases occurring on the Hong Kong-bound flights between January and October 2024, about 70 percent were short-haul flights arriving from Southeast Asian countries, mainly Malaysia, Thailand, India, and Vietnam; about 20 percent were flights from Dubai, Turkey and Doha; and 7 percent from the Chinese mainland, Japan and South Korea. The remaining 3 percent were flights from the United States, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland.

After registering 103, 147, and 10 theft cases in 2018, 2019, and 2020 respectively, the government saw no such case in 2021. In 2022, there were 3 cases, while the number shot to 92 the next year.

According to police analysis, the number of theft cases dropped to single digits during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

“With the easing of the pandemic, Hong Kong resumed normal cross-boundary travel in early 2023. Air traffic has recovered steadily with a drastic increase in the number of flights and inbound travelers,” reads a government statement.

Regarding the significant increase in such cases in 2024, the government said it might be because police have stepped up publicity to encourage more people to report crimes or the overall economic situation.

To prevent and combat thefts on board aircraft, law enforcers have set up a database of suspects, said Tang. Intelligence exchange with airlines is stepped up to identify at an early stage the relatively high-risk routes and periods where crimes are committed, he added.

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“There are no international policies regulating the installation of CCTV or arrangements of security staff on duty inside cabins, nor are these common practices generally adopted by airlines,” the government said, adding that it has no plans to impose requirements in this regard for the time being.

From January to October 2024, police organized 38 seminars on topics such as thefts on board aircraft and crime prevention, explaining the crime trends and common modus operandi to a total of 937 airport stakeholders from 38 airlines, it added.