PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s crime rate rose by 11.1% last year, with 58,255 cases reported compared to 52,444 in 2023, largely driven by property-related offences and assault crimes.
According to the latest Crime Statistics released by the Statistics Department (DOSM), property crimes remained the most prevalent, surging 12.4% to 47,188 cases, while assault crimes also registered an increase of 5.9%, reaching 11,067 cases.
“Despite the overall rise, the report recorded a positive development in homicide cases, with intentional homicides declining by 9.5% to 237 cases, while non-intentional homicides remained unchanged at two cases.
“Kidnapping incidents also showed a slight reduction, with 17 cases reported in 2024, of which children accounted for 11 of those cases,” said a DOSM statement, Bernama reported.
It said sexual crimes presented a mixed picture, with rape cases increasing by 12.1% to 1,899 cases.
However, rape without force increased 29.3%, while rape with force declined by 15.3%, suggesting shifts in reporting or perpetration patterns.
It said robbery cases saw a notable 6.8% decrease, totalling 4,276 cases, with most involving robbery from individuals (41.7%), followed by other forms of robbery (38.2%), incidents targeting establishments or institutions (13.5%) and vehicle-related robberies (6.7%).
Meanwhile, house break-ins and theft cases also fell slightly by 1.8%, with 77.6% of these offences occurring during the night.
DOSM said drug-related cases involving drug supply and possession continued to climb, with a 10.6% increase, bringing the total to 81,090 cases.
“Drug supply cases rose by 4.6%, while possession cases jumped by 12.7%, reflecting intensified enforcement and possibly increased substance use,” it said.
DOSM said arrests for bribery cases involving giving and accepting bribes surged by 24.6%, with 764 individuals apprehended.
“(Cases of) giving bribes rose sharply by 51.2%, while (cases of) accepting bribes increased by 20.3%, highlighting ongoing efforts to combat graft,” it added.
DOSM said economic crimes also intensified, with 2,243 cases of misappropriation of controlled goods recorded – a 19.1% rise from the previous year.
It said diesel was the most commonly misappropriated commodity at 30%, followed by petrol (26.7%), cooking oil (19.8%), sugar (10.1%), liquefied petroleum gas (9.1%) and wheat flour (4.45).
Health and safety at work offences saw the steepest rise, increasing by 71.1% to 296 cases.
The manufacturing sector accounted for over half of these offences (57.4%), followed by construction (27.4%) and business services (8.1%).
It said animal-related crimes remained minimal, dropping to 12 cases involving cruelty and welfare violations, while sea robberies continued to be rare, with no cases reported in 2024 compared to a single incident in 2023.
DOSM said correctional statistics also reflected significant changes, with the number of convicted prisoners increasing by 28.4% to 128,916 individuals, with males making up the overwhelming majority at 90.9%.
