Certain NGOs are out to disrupt social order and undermine the government, under the guise of human rights or reform platforms, inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said today.

He singled out electoral reform movment Bersih and anti-Bersih group the red-shirts as "glaring examples".

"It is quite common to see activities by certain NGO challenging the existing social order and undermining the government’s credibility.

"These NGOs are controlled by political party leaders and anti-establishment individuals who disguise their political agenda to champion for reforms in government, in human rights issues.

"Bersih and the red-shirts are glaring examples of such NGOs," Khalid told the audience during a talk on national security at the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Gombak.

His wide-ranging speech also broached on the issues of cybercrime, political and religious extremism, drug trafficking and terrorism, among others.

In his speech, Khalid said Malaysia's multi-racial and multi-religious fabric are often stretched to the limits by politicians seeking to gain cheap publicity.

He said many efforts have been put in place to promote national identity. However, he stressed that national identity should not mean "sameness", but for different groups in Malaysia to break the walls among them while preserving their own uniqueness.

Khalid also announced that the crime index had dropped by 1.7 percent as of last week, compared with the same period last year.

However, at the same time street crimes, such as snatch thefts and wayside robberies, had increased by about 20 percent.

"This is quite alarming... Particularly on weekends, we will be increasing our presence at hotspots to ensure that street crimes are kept in check,” he said.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this report quoted Khalid as referring to Bersih and Perkasa. PDRM's corporate communication division clarified Khalid intended to refer to the red-shirts but had mistakenly mentioned Perkasa. This correction has been reflected in this story.