Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan has suggested confining foreigners to their work premises and putting them under 24-hour surveillance to prevent crime.

He said that the move would deter them from getting involved in rising criminal activity, the New Straits Times reported.

"Under the plan, foreign workers, the majority of whom are contract workers, will be placed in their kongsi (workers quarters) at (their) work site and their activities monitored by the contractor even after their working hours," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

He said the workers would have to register with their employers, who are usually building contractors, if they wished to go out during breaks or days off.

"This way, I believe the foreigners will be more afraid to commit crimes as they know the police can locate them," he added.

Border enforcement

Musa said crimes committed by foreign workers, especially Indonesians, have escalated with about 5,000 criminal acts committed by foreigners last year, which accounted for some two per cent of the 232,620 cases recorded.

Official statistics have shown that criminal incidents jumped 45.1 percent in three years since 2003.

Musa said that the police would also step up border security to stop the influx of illegal immigrants.

"Enforcement at border checkpoints and entry points will be enhanced because it is difficult to control the illegal immigrants' movement once they entered the country," he added.

Malaysia is one of the largest importers of foreign labour in Asia. Foreign workers, both legal and illegal, accounted for about 2.6 million of its 10.5 million workforce, officials have said.