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The first International Experience Sharing Session on Anti-Bookmaking Enforcement by officers of crime investigation units of Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shenzhen, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia had successfully concluded today (January 17).
The two-day sharing session provided a unique opportunity for officers of crime investigation units of the six places to exchange experiences and strategies in tackling illegal bookmaking activities, in particular, soccer bookmaking.
Over a hundred officers from the Crime Wing and regional crime squads of the Hong Kong Police (HKP) and a total of 12 attendants from Guangdong Public Security Department, Shenzhen Public Security Bureau, Macau Judiciary Police, Singapore Police Force and the Royal Malaysian Police participated in the discussion.
The sharing session focussed on a broad spectrum of policing issues on anti-bookmaking enforcement including the overall trend of illegal bookmaking activities especially internet gambling which is borderless; the strategies and difficulties in tackling illegal bookmaking activities; collections of evidence and prosecution in different law enforcement agencies as well as relevant legislations within the six places.
The law enforcement officers from the six places shared their views on the collaborations in conducting joint operations to tackle illegal bookmaking activities and various case studies were cited to facilitate the exchange of experiences.
A number of successful cases on anti soccer bookmaking as a result of good international co-operation during the World Cup 2006 were cited for exchange of experiences. These included a joint operation conducted on June 13 last year by the HKP, New South Wales in Australia and the Royal Malaysian Police where an international soccer booking syndicate was smashed; the seizure of betting slips worth $400 million with the arrest of 19 persons by Macau Judiciary Police between June 22 and 27 last year with the intelligence provided by the HKP; the smash of an accounting centre of a soccer bookmaking syndicate in Shenzhen on July 10 last year based on the information from the HKP.
Another recent example cited was a joint operation by the HKP and Shenzhen Public Security Bureau in which seven persons were arrested with the seizure of 0.6 million worth of horse racing betting records on November 4, 2006.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the sharing session, the Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime), Mr Ng Sai-kuen, said that the session was the first of its kind among the Asian law enforcement agencies with a view to combating illegal bookmaking activities. The two-day intensive programme was very useful and constructive.
Mr Ng said that the exchanges might not stamp out all illegal bookmaking activities in the region with immediate effect, but the sharing session had successfully enhanced the understandings between the law enforcement officers of the six places in combating bookmaking activities and the relevant legislations and prosecution procedures of individual partcipating parties.
It also provided a very good opportunity for the participants to broaden their horizon in different modus operandi in bookmaking activities in different places. This would help strengthen the effectiveness of law enforcement actions against illegal bookmaking operators and syndicates with a view to stamping out this type of borderless crime.
The session concluded that the criminal investigation departments of the six places would continue to co-operate closely, in particular in terms of intelligence exchange, investigation support, joint operations and expertise exchange.
Police Report No. 8
Ends/Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Issued at HKT 19:49
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