No murders, armed robberies in Terengganu over past 2 years

State police chief says the main threat now is commercial crime, especially online scams that occur almost daily and often involve retirees.

Terengganu police chief Khairi Khairuddin said theft remains the highest contributor to crime in Terengganu, including cable and iron theft. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Terengganu can be categorised as a “safe state” as it did not record any murder or armed robbery cases over the past two years, says state police chief Khairi Khairuddin.

However, Khairi said the number of rape and incest cases increased over the same period, with 94 recorded in 2025 compared with 90 the previous year, Bernama reported.

He said the lack of murders and armed robberies in 2025 and 2024 underscored the state’s stable and well-controlled security situation.

He attributed the success to the police’s commitment to curbing crime and implementing community policing approaches in all districts, including in schools.

“This achievement proves that Terengganu can be categorised as a safe state,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Nerus.

According to Khairi, most of the victims in the rape and incest cases were teenagers aged between 13 and 16, with the increase in cases believed to be influenced by exposure to pornography and social media, including immoral content and introductions through chat applications that lead to face-to-face meetings.

He said even if in some cases the sexual act was consensual, but from a legal perspective, any sexual act on an individual under 16 years of age is still categorised as rape.

Khairi said theft remains the highest contributor to crime in Terengganu, including cable and iron theft. However, he added, there has been a decline from the 741 cases recorded in 2024 to 674 cases in 2025.

He said the main challenge at present is commercial crime, especially online scams that occur almost daily and often involve retirees.

A total of 1,335 commercial crime cases were reported in 2024, while in 2025, the number rose to 2,046 cases, an increase of 711 cases or 53.25%, he added.

“For example, there have been cases involving government retirees who panicked after being told they were allegedly involved in money laundering and transferred funds to certain accounts as instructed. Therefore, commercial crime is seen as more critical than violent crime,” he was quoted as saying. - FMT