Background
The National Police of Cambodia conducted coordinated operations in the first ten days of October 2026 that resulted in the arrest of 87 people on charges related to child gang activity and illegal gambling. These operations were implemented by police units under the Ministry of Interior to detect, detain, and refer suspected offenders to judicial authorities.
Article 217 of the Cambodian Criminal Code prescribes one to three years’ imprisonment and fines of 2 million to 6 million riel for intentional physical violence. The 1996 Law on Suppression of Gambling sets penalties for ordinary gamblers at fines of 10,000 to 50,000 riel and imprisonment from one week to one month under Article 4.
Key Developments
According to National Police reporting, police recorded 14 cases related to juvenile gang incidents in the first ten days of October 2026, detaining 56 suspects and forwarding cases to municipal and provincial courts. Separately, seven gambling-related cases produced 31 detentions, of which 28 individuals were sent to court and three received educational guidance and agreements to cease activities.
Enforcement Actions
Police actions combined arrests, detention, case documentation, and formal referral to prosecutors and courts in line with existing criminal procedures. The reported measures applied both custodial prosecution and non-custodial administrative responses where authorities recorded lower-level gambling infractions and implemented educational agreements instead of immediate prosecution for a small number of individuals.
Institutional Role
The National Police operate under the Ministry of Interior and are responsible for criminal investigations, arrests, and the referral of cases to judicial authorities. Operational activity against organized juvenile groups and illegal gambling is conducted within the framework of criminal statutes and sector-specific laws as part of public-order policing functions.
Official Source
Primary sources: National Police press release (police.gov.kh/?p=199115) and the National Police Facebook post (facebook.com/cambodiapolice/posts/ pfbid02KiCXJPwMDypo7kJVF1DQ7toHTJG2QAPCLj71XQSPKesz2PQhfyK3Qm15rgn5rdxfl).
