TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) was misleading when he said that teenagers account for most drug-related crimes.

In a post on its website Thursday (Nov. 9), Taiwan FactCheck Center said the politician’s comments were wide of the mark. The organization produced data from police sources that showed the former director-general of the National Police Agency had got it entirely wrong.

Notably, statistics from October 2023 show that teens were responsible for 9.08% of crime in Taiwan, while adults accounted for 90.92%. Furthermore, over the past five years, there were roughly the same proportion of drug offenders, respectively.

Hou made his comments at a public security forum on Nov. 9. At the same time, he said he would roll out a drug enforcement agency similar to the U.S. if made president in the 2024 election.

“Campuses are flooded with drugs and teenagers account for the highest proportion of drug offenders,” Hou was quoted as saying. “Young people have the highest proportion of drug crimes, and we need to start managing the source."

According to FactCheck, the most prevalent crime perpetrated by teenagers was fraud at 26.49%. Drugs followed this at 8.29%, public order offenses at 7.52%, theft at 7.05%, and public danger at 6.87%.

Hou Yu-ih speaks about teen crime on Nov. 9. (Taiwan FactCheck Center photo)