PETALING JAYA: The enhanced security measures taken by the police should not be sensationalised, says the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF).
Its vice-chairman, Datuk Seri Dr King Lim Chin Fui, said the public should support police officers who are always ready to sacrifice themselves on the front line against criminal activities.
"Only with the public's full support can the nation be stable and peaceful.
"We hope the people will not be misled by inaccurate information and slander regarding the 'closing of police station gates'.
"The police force has never compromised in maintaining public order, combating crime and ensuring the safety of the people," he said in a statement on Thursday (July 11).
On Tuesday (July 9), the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said closing the front gates of police stations after 10pm would not disrupt its public service.
He said the measure would be fully implemented once the Bukit Aman Management Department completes the standard operating procedure for the directive.
Lim said as pointed out by the IGP, the proposed security measure merely refers to closing the police station gates to control access.
"All police stations nationwide remain open 24/7 and this does not affect the public's access to lodging a report.
"We must understand that it is the responsibility of the police to uphold and maintain national security and public safety.
"Since police stations also store firearms, the decision to close the gates at certain times in response to various risks is entirely understandable," he said.
Lim also said there have been several reported attacks on police stations over the years.
On the crime front, he said Bukit Aman CID investigated 52,444 cases with 80.29% of the cases solved last year.
"The prosecution rate was 58.71% while the arrest rate was 94.74%.
"In anti-narcotics efforts, 179,865 suspects were arrested for involvement in various drug activities, which also saw the crippling of 273 drug syndicates," he said, adding that various drugs worth RM4.83bil were also seized.
As for commercial crimes, 18,221 enforcement operations were carried out and 22,911 individuals arrested.
According to the 2024 Global Peace Index released by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, Malaysia ranked 10th out of 163 countries and regions worldwide and third in the Asia-Pacific region.
Malaysia's ranking improved by nine places compared to last year, entering the top 10 for the first time.
In 2008, when the peace index was first released, Malaysia was ranked 32nd.
