Why two sets of crime stats, DAP asks Putrajaya

A DAP lawmaker has accused the home minister of providing inaccurate statistics on the country’s crime rate. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 30, 2014.

Putrajaya is providing inaccurate information on crime in Parliament, a DAP lawmaker said today, citing discrepancies in crime statistics last year as the latest example.

DAP assistant national publicity secretary Teo Nie Ching, in a statement today, said the home minister had provided two different crime rates for 2013 when asked by Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong and Pengkalan Chepa MP Izani Husin.

“How can we have two different crime statistics for 2013? And the difference between the two is huge,” said the Kulai MP.

A side-by-side comparison of the statistics revealed differences in the figures provided in the written reply to both MPs.

The total indexed crime in 2013, as given to Liew, was 147,062 while in the ministry’s answer to Izani, it was 99,613. This was a difference of 47,449 cases.

Statistics provided to Liew showed 29,375 cases of violent crimes in 2013 while Izani’s only had 20,246.

Among others, Liew was told that there were 627 cases of murder, 2,718 cases of rape, 16,647 unarmed robbery, while Izani’s document saw only 440 murders, 1,810 rape cases, and 11,507 of unarmed robbery.

Liew was told that there were 117,687 cases of property crime while Izani was given 79,367 cases.

“Instead of busy probing into Pakatan Rakyat MPs for sedition, can our home minister spare some time to explain these discrepancies?

“Our intention is none other than hoping to bring back some useful and accurate information to our voters,” said Teo, who said this was not the first time Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had given out inaccurate information.

Teo added that ministers should be held accountable for the answers and replies to Parliament as the Dewan Rakyat was “one of the highest institutions in the country that should not be taken lightly, or we will never have a first-class Parliament”.

This is not the first time a DAP lawmaker has raised the issue of crime statistics.

Last year, DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said the level of crime was unacceptably high and claimed that the police statistics had been manipulated to lower the crime rate.

- TMI