KUALA LUMPUR – The police today dismissed rumours of an increase in the nation’s crime rate due to people losing their jobs from the Covid-19 pandemic, saying the number of cases had in fact dropped this year.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Huzir Mohamed said there was a 23% reduction in the number of criminal cases between January 1 and November 15 this year, compared with the corresponding period last year.
In a statement today, he said that the number of cases dropped by 16,719 from the 72,836 cases reported last year.
Huzir said 1,160 cases of snatch theft were reported between January 1 and November 15 this year compared with 2,216 cases during the corresponding period last year, showing a drop of 1,056 cases, or 47.7%.
“Up to 893 suspects were arrested between January 1 and November 15 last year, compared with 527 during the corresponding period this year,” he said.
“Based on these statistics, allegations that the nation’s crime rate has increased due to people losing their jobs from the Covid-19 pandemic are untrue.”
Huzir said that the police would act to maintain the downward trend and ensure that security and public order are maintained.
He also advised the people not to arbitrarily create, share or circulate inaccurate news and rumours on criminal trends or cases unsupported by facts from the authorities.
“Doing so will not only raise public anxiety but also create a false perception of the enforcement agencies, particularly the police,” said Huzir. – Bernama, November 17, 2020
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