Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar called on all parties today not to needlessly speculate about links between the release of Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainees and alleged rise in crime across the country.

"Don't make speculations. It (the crime rate) is still under control and we are monitoring the situation," Ismail told a press conference in Cheras today.

He said EO detainees, even after their release, remained under police monitoring and steps were being taken to ensure they did not relapse into criminal activities.

“We know where they live and will monitor if they have got a job or are unemployed, the important thing is to make sure they can get employment.

“If they are not working we can send their names to the Labour Office to get jobs. And the public should help too, if EO detainees apply, give them jobs.”

Ismail also said that the OCPDs in each district will be tasked with monitoring former EO detainees.

The repeal of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) is one of the factors blamed for the recent spate in crime by a recent Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) finding.

According to its crime reduction national key results area (NKRA) director Eugene Teh, the EO repeal is a “hypothesis” that it is working on.

azlan Deputy Selangor police chief A Thaiveegan had also insinuated that the EO may be contributing to the recent crime surge in the state, at a crime prevention campaign in Subang Jaya last month.

Thaiveegan said rising complaints of Selangor crime levels may be a result of the mass release of suspected criminals from the Simpang Renggam detention centre following the EO repeal.

‘Stats not alarming’                

On a related issue, Ismail also hit out at alarmists who are making much ado about the cases of attacks in mall car parks.

“The stats are not alarming,” he countered, although he admitted that there are a few high-profile “traumatic cases”which had captured the imagination of the public.

police crime roadblock frontimage Selangor CPO Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, who was also at the press conference, confirmed that incidences of attacks in Mall car parks are in the minority.

“From January to June 2012, there are six cases,” related Tun Hisan.

However, Ismail gave an assurance that the numbers to him are not important as the police will respond to the situation regardless, and work to ensure that the public will feel safe in shopping malls again.

As a further measure, he added that other than working with Rela to secure malls, police will now include shopping malls into their existing 50 crime hotspots, listed as zones that needed extra attention as they work towards realising the crime reduction NKRA.

‘I did not put words in their mouths’

Asked about his predecessor Musa Hassan who has been vocally refuting government statistics that crime is on the decline, Ismail declined to comment directly.

However he said that in general, anyone who disagrees with police statistics should know that their findings are backed by other international independent bodies such as the World Economic Forum.

Ismail also related the findings of an international panel which had praised the police and Malaysian government for having “strong leadership” in their fight against crime.

“These are their words, I did not put words in their mouths,” he said.

Related stories

Malaysia safest country in South-East Asia. Really?

Reveal full budget on crime reduction, Pemandu told

Let third party scrutinise crime stats, gov't urged

Solve car-couple's fears, IGP orders his men

Don't use the EO as a cop-out