Bukit Aman: Crime in Malaysia went down instead of up during COVID-19 pandemic

Federal police today refuted claims that crime in Malaysia has risen since COVID-19 broke out worldwide due to increasing joblessness and loss of income.

Instead, Commissioner Datuk Huzir Mohamed, who heads Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigations Department, said crime nationwide slid 23 per cent from the 72,836 cases since January 1 to November 15, compared to the same period last year.

He highlighted that snatch thefts fell 47.65 per cent to 1,160 cases over the past 11 months, compared to the 2,216 reports to police made between the same period (January 1 to November 15) last year.

Huzir was responding to the viral circulation of a video clip posted on YouTube four days ago under the title Jangan Jadi Mangsa! Tontonilah Video ini! Jangan Leka & Lalai! (Don’t become a victim! Watch this video! Don’t be careless and negligent).

The 13-minute clip was essentially a compilation of some local snatch theft cases captured by dash cam video recorders.

Malaysia has been put under several movement restrictions orders starting from March to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which coupled with police vigilance, have likely contributed to the decrease in snatch thefts.

Huzir said police arrested fewer people for suspected snatch theft over the past 11 months — just 527, compared to 893 last year.

“Based on these statistics, allegations that criminal cases in Malaysia are on the rise as a result of many losing their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic are completely untrue,” he said in a statement.

He gave an assurance that the police will continue to take comprehensive measures to further reduce crime to keep public order and safety.

He advised Malaysians against sharing unverified and inaccurate information, saying doing so would give the wrong impression of safety levels and negatively affect law enforcement. — Malay Mail

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