Fraud comprised 34.73 percent of all criminal cases in the past year, with a total of 224,290 cases recorded between September last year and August, Ministry of the Interior (MOI) data showed today.
In a special report given to the legislature alongside the National Police Agency, National Security Bureau and the Ministry of Justice, the MOI vowed to continue to focus efforts toward eliminating fraud, organized crime, drug trafficking and illegal firearms.
The year saw a total of 645,790 criminal cases, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The priority is to combat fraud, including online and telephone fraud, it said.
The ministry said it employs a range of tactics, including tracking and blocking fraudulent financial transactions, seizing illegal profits, identifying potential victims and educating the public to raise awareness of fraud prevention.
The goal is to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to fraudulent schemes as well as overall losses, it said.
It also vowed to systematically target organized crime gangs operating fraud scams, particularly gang leaders, key members and groups that recruit minors.
Authorities use a three-step program to dismantle the organizations, cut off financial sources and eliminate industries that sustain gang operations, in a comprehensive campaign to cut down on organized crime, it added.
Regarding drug trafficking, the ministry said it is entering the third phase of its New Generation Anti-Drug Strategy, aimed at introducing technology into drug enforcement efforts, bolstering international cooperation, tightening border controls and deepening community-based anti-drug operations.
The ministry also said it is cracking down on drug dealing among young people and on college campuses, and addressing the issue of driving under the influence of etomidate, a Class 2 drug often used to make “zombie vapes,” using rapid tests to detect the drug in saliva.
As for gun control, the MOI said that modified guns remain the main source of illegal firearms in Taiwan.
Police conduct comprehensive inspections and ban replica guns and key gun components to prevent modification, it said.
Nationwide gun sweeps would continue to eliminate illegal possession, it added.
Lastly, an annual survey by the National Police Agency showed that 91.78 percent of the public are satisfied with security in their communities, a figure that has remained above 90 percent for the third consecutive year, the MOI said.
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