IGP: Rising crime just a perception

Ismail Omar takes note of the public's concern but the top cop maintains that it is a matter of perception.

PETALING JAYA: Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar today admitted that the majority of Malaysians feel unsafe and perceived crime to be on the rise, according to a survey conducted by the police.

He also revealed that international investors had expressed concern over security issues in a meeting between them, International Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamad and himself earlier this morning.

Ismail said as of May this year, 54% of those interviewed by the police felt the country was unsafe but maintained that this was only a matter of perception.

He maintained that his force had done what was needed to bring down crime under the anti-crime national key result area target but conceded that more effort must be placed in tackling the negative perception.

“We are trying to bring it down to 45% soon… but you must look at other indicators. You can have teh tarik at anytime of the day without feeling threatened in anyway,” he told an event held to discuss the rise of corporate crime here.

Also present was former IGP Hanif Omar, who in his speech, wanted explanation from Ismail on public grievances over the alleged rise in violent crimes in the country.

Ismail responding said he had told investors that there was a disconnect between what was reported and the ground reality, urging both investors and the public to end its fixation on the “statistics war” and look at other indicators pointing to security improvements in the country.

Managing perception

An example of this was Malaysia’s climb in the global peace index. The country now ranked 19, one notch up from last year while it was lower the previous years.

Opposition leaders claimed the police and Putrajaya fabricated its anti-crime statistics – amid public panic over several high-profile violent crimes – to dress up its crime-fighting NKRA just ahead of key polls.

Realising that security was a key concern of the voters, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had made the crusade against crime one of his administration’s hallmark policies.

Ismail dismissed the accusations and said that the authorities had done well to curb both street and index crimes. He said this hard-earned result, however, had been ruined by negative media reporting.

“The (anti-crime) NKRA is down the drain,” he said.

Ismail said the government and his men were now entering the second phase of the crime-fighting programme and would embark on a new agenda to manage the poor public perception.

“There is a challenge. Our challenge is how to manage this disconnect between the negative reporting and our success in crime-fighting,” he said.