Hong Kong Police Force Commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming said 2,144 young people were arrested in the first eight months of 2026, a 23% increase on the same period a year earlier.
He said the main offences included assault and grievous assault, fraud and money laundering, and criminal damage. Most assault cases, he said, arose from minor disputes and were committed in a moment of impulse.
On fraud and money laundering, Chow said some young people were used by criminals to collect scam proceeds or lend their bank accounts, sometimes out of momentary greed.
Some criminal-damage cases involved illegal debt collection, he said, while many were committed in pursuit of quick money.