Hong Kong's crime rate — the number of crimes per 100 000 population — is lower than that of many other metropolitan cities. The overall law and order situation remained stable in 2004, with the general and violent crime rates decreasing by 9.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively, when compared with 2003. The number of many serious crimes also registered a significant drop, while the overall crime detection rate was 43.6 per cent.