The Home Ministry, which is responsible for the Crime Reduction National Key Result Area (NKRA) introduced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, has exceeded its crime reduction target set throughout last year.

Deputy Home Minister Abu Seman Yusop said during that period, the crime index had dropped by 7.6 percent compared with the 5 percent target.

"Clearly, the Crime Reduction NKRA outlined by the prime minister has indicated an impact," he told reporters after officially opening the Sabah Halfway House in Kepayan near Kota Kinabalu.

He said one of the 50 initiatives under the Crime Reduction NKRA was a resettlement programme for ex-prisoners through the Halfway House inspired by the laboratory for crime reduction.

Abu Seman said 14 Halfway Houses were built nationwide, with one in each state.

He said the halfway house, among others, is aimed to help ex-prisoners obtain work and counselling, to give them confidence that they are still needed by the community.

- Bernama