Crime down 26pct, but fear still looms
Inspector-general of police Ismail Omar announced that the crime index dropped by 26.3 percent for the period January to June 2012, as opposed to the same period in 2011.
Inspector-general of police Ismail Omar announced that the crime index had dropped by 26.3 percent for the period January to June 2012, as opposed to the same period in 2011.
Street crime plunged by 42.6 percent in the first half of this year, compared with the first half of 2011.
"The entire police force is grateful to God," Ismail said in his speech at the Puchong police station today.
He said the improvements were also reflected in international surveys, like the Global Peace Index 2012 which placed Malaysia as the safest country in
Southeast Asia and among the top 20 safest countries in the world.
"The index is based on 23 indicators that measured the absence of violence and fear of violence," he said.
Fear of crime up from last year
Interestingly, research commissioned by the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) on fear of crime found that perception of crime remains the same as in 2011.
If at all, the survey results made available to Malaysiakini show that fear of crime index has risen to 54.6 percent in June 2012, compared with 48.9 percent in May 2011.
The survey found that in the past year, fear of crime was at its highest in October with the index hitting 56.4 percent.
The nationwide survey conducted by market research company TNS Research International Malaysia continuously tracks crime perception trends.
Pemandu is expected to hold a media briefing on crime-busting efforts tomorrow.
Meanwhile, on the recent spat of attacks on shopping mall patrons at parking lots, Ismail told reporters after the event that the police are working with shopping mall administrators to ensure safety.
"I have instructed all (police district chiefs) to meet with them (mall administrators) to understand the layout of each shopping mall and to redeploy personnel.
"We had previously deployed personnel to handle street crimes, but now people are talking about the malls. But this does not mean that we will forget street crimes," he said.
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