Ahmad Zahid: Big drop in crime index but people still doubt safety

KUALA LUMPUR: The people still have doubts about public safety despite a huge reduction in the crime index, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said that six years after the launch of the Government Transformation Programme and the introduction of the Crime Reduction Initiatives, statistics show that the crime index has fallen by 47%.

Despite this significant drop in the index, the public generally do not feel safe and are still sceptical of the data and initiatives carried out by the Government, he said.

"This is a very big challenge for the Government as the data given is doubted by the public and clearly, this has a lot to do with perception," Dr Ahmad Zahid said in a message in the programme book for a forum "Addressing Perception On Safety And Security".

"Both the Government and the public are seeing it from a different perspective.

"I believe that Malaysians should not only be safe but need to feel safe at the same time," he said.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the Government "remains fully committed and has taken concrete steps including training law enforcement agencies and improving domestic legislative and regulatory framework to enhance capability to combat crime."

"Feeling safe or unsafe impacts our quality of life. Hence, reducing the fear of crime has become as important as reducing crime."

However, he said that reducing the fear of crime through crime prevention cannot be the sole function of the police.

"The community has an important role in it. Crime prevention refers to the range of approaches implemented by individuals, communities, businesses, NGOs and all levels of Government," he said.