172 voyeurism cases reported in Hong Kong in 2024, up 24% from previous year

The number of reported cases of voyeurism in Hong Kong jumped nearly 24 per cent in 2024 from the previous year, with the city’s security chief noting that most of the offences were carried out with smartphones and at crowded places such as bus terminals and aboard public transport.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Wednesday also told lawmakers that regulating filming equipment or purchasing channels might not be an effective way of combating the problem, since the devices could also be used for other legitimate purposes, such as monitoring elderly residents who lived alone at home.

In a paper the government submitted to the Legislative Council, police said they received 172 reports of voyeurism last year, 23.7 per cent higher than the 139 recorded in 2023.

Among last year’s cases, 107 individuals were arrested, with 59 prosecuted and 50 convicted, the paper showed.

Police also received 350 reports of unlawful recording or observation of intimate parts in 2024, slightly fewer than the 358 cases reported the previous year. Among last year’s cases, 252 were arrested, with 193 prosecuted and 177 convicted.

“In nearly 98 per cent of the offences of voyeurism and unlawful recording or observation of intimate parts in the past year, offenders used smartphones with camera functions that they carried with them to commit the crimes,” Tang said at the Legco meeting.