HONG KONG - Secretary for Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government John Lee said on Friday that the "black terror" in 2019 has seriously damaged Hong Kong's rule of law and people's law-abiding awareness, resulting in a rise in local crimes for two years in a row.

Lee said at a Legislative Council meeting that the number of crime cases in Hong Kong had been on a downward trend in the past 40 years before the social unrest, but it rose by 9 percent and 7 percent respectively in 2019 and 2020, notably the fraud, extortion, drug and gambling cases.

He said that the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the HKSAR has greatly contained "black terror", and other criminal acts related to "Hong Kong independence" and collusion with external forces. However, social security risks remain as some people have continued to use the media, culture and art to advocate "Hong Kong independence" and incite sabotage.

Home-grown terrorism may be lurking in the society and external forces are still waiting for opportunities to intervene in Hong Kong affairs, he said, adding that the Security Bureau of the HKSAR government will closely monitor the crime trend and rebuild people's law-abiding awareness through publicity and education.