Increase in 'Conditional Meeting, Coin Trading' Robberies, Decrease in Break-in Robberies

[Financial News] Luring robberies, where victims are deceived with conditional meetings (prostitution) and then robbed of cash, have surged. Meanwhile, traditional break-in robberies are on the decline. The police have decided to strengthen their response to these changing crime patterns.
According to the National Police Agency on the 7th, luring robberies accounted for 13.4% of all robbery cases this year. This is a significant increase compared to 6.9% in 2023 and 7.7% last year.
Luring robbery refers to a method where the victim is deceived and then robbed of cash or other valuables. Victims are lured with prostitution or coin trading and then confronted and robbed.
On the other hand, break-in robberies, which are the most common type of robbery, are decreasing. They fell from 32.2% in 2023 to 24.3% last year, and this year they are at 18.5%, marking a percentage in the teens.
The expansion of the online ecosystem seems to have changed the patterns of not only fraud and economic crimes but also violent crimes. Meanwhile, security in high-end residential areas and apartments, which were traditional targets of robberies, is becoming increasingly tight.
The police plan to conduct a focused crackdown on robbery and theft for two months starting this month, responding to these changes in methods. They have prepared separate investigation guidelines, mobilizing all available resources for major luring robbery cases and coordinating between police stations. They see the need for focused crackdowns as the vulnerable periods of Chuseok holidays and year-end are included in the second half of the year. In addition to robbery and theft, they will also crack down on crimes such as handling stolen goods and embezzlement of lost property. Among different age groups, there is an increase in cases where elderly people, driven by economic difficulties, commit crimes, so they are strengthening connections with welfare systems.
In the past three years, the average number of robbery and theft cases in the second half of the year was 97,373, which is 10.4% more than in the first half (88,172 cases). The police previously conducted a focused crackdown from April to June in the first half of the year. During the crackdown period, the number of arrests and the number of people arrested increased by 26.7% and 14.6%, respectively, compared to January to March.
A police official said, "We will strengthen prompt initial responses and confirm additional crimes by suspects to strictly handle habitual offenders and enhance safety measures for crime victims."
unsaid@fnnews.com Kang Myung-yeon Reporter