Police Arrest 2,300 People In Triad Crackdown

Police on Monday said they had arrested more than 2,300 people in an annual anti-triad joint operation with their Macau and Guangdong counterparts.

During the campaign, code-named "Thunderbolt 21," officers raided about 2,000 venues, including illegal gambling centres, bars, party rooms as well as vice dens.

They also seized weapons and drugs, as well as bookmaking records, the force said.

"The pandemic is a new thing to us. We are still closely monitoring the crime trend and as far as we reckon there isn't a particular type of crime is on the rise," said chief superintendent Wong Wai from the force's organised crime and triad bureau.

Wong added that 3,000 fixed penalty tickets were issued during the operation to people who flouted a gathering ban.

He warned the public to stay away from places that could get them into trouble.

"You will notice the issuance of fixed penalty tickets for violating Cap 599 ... I won't say it's on the rise but there was quite a big number," he said.

Macau and Guangdong, meanwhile, arrested a total of about 3,200 people in the operation.