Engagements between the police and public are the way forward to improve an overall perception of safety and security, based on the force's achievements in crime reduction efforts, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Speaking at a Home Ministry-hosted forum in Kuala Lumpur, Zahid said more engagement was necessary to translate the drop in crime statistics over the past six years to an improved public perception of their safety.

"This is a very big challenge because the public does not believe the government’s crime statistics.

"This has a lot to do with perception. In this situation the way forward is to change the perception," said Zahid, who is also the home minister, at the forum titled "Addressing Perception On Safety And Security" held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

The drop in overall national crime index was attributed to initiatives introduced under the Government Transformation Programme launched in 2009, coordinated by the Performance Management And Delivery Unit (Pemandu).

In his closing speech, Zahid said the day's session should be seen as the first of many future engagement sessions involving the police, ordinary public and other stakeholders.

"Times have now changed. Besides engagement, we also have to be more community friendly.

"This is what I am now doing together with the IGP, deputy IGP, district police chiefs and many others," he said.

Aside from an overall 47 percent drop in the national crime index over the last six years, Zahid said other notable achievements include a 0.6 percent recidivism rate - a term to identify repeat offenders - for drug related cases.

"Why is there no celebration for this figure? Because there is no engagement," he stressed.

At a panel discussion earlier, retired police commissioner Ayub Yaakob said the engagement process should seek to establish mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual trust between the force and the public.

"You (the police) must know the people you are going to serve and the people must also know their police officers," he said.

In his opening address, Pemandu executive vice-president Amin Khan, however, noted that only 10 percent of Malaysians surveyed said they have faith in the figure.

To address the gap between perception and reality, Amin as such, said the police must work on establishing an emotional connection with the public in order to be able to influence their perception.

"Improving the emotional connection between police and public is very important to reduce the fear of crime," he stressed.