KUALA LUMPUR – According to the Malaysian Statistics Department, the crime index dropped 19.3% from 65,623 cases in 2020 to 52,974 in 2021.

Violent and property crime dropped 13.4% and 20.8 percent, respectively, to 11,495 and 41,479 cases in 2021.

The movement control order (MCO) banned social activities and interstate and inter-district travel, lowering criminal cases. “Stricter law enforcement and greater public awareness also helped prevent crime,” the report said.

However, police reported 31,490 commercial crimes in 2021, up 15.3% from 27,323 in 2020.

Fraud accounted for 91.6 percent of the 31,490 cases, followed by breach of trust (942 cases), Moneylenders Act 1951 offences (847 cases), cybercrime (400 cases), and counterfeiting (400 cases) (204 cases).

In 2021, police reported 108,220 drug-related cases and 129,604 arrests, down 1.2 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively, but drug trafficking arrests rose to 25,277 from 23,536 in 2020.

In 2021, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) opened 828 investigation papers, down 3.4 percent from 857 in 2020, while sexual crimes against under-18s rose 0.9 percent to 1,481 from 1,468.

14 million police summonses were issued for traffic offences, up 166.2 percent from 5.3 in 2020.

In 2021, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) reported 575 Fisheries Act 1985 arrests, 198 Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952 arrests, and 198 Sabah Ports and Harbours Enactment 2002 arrests (178 cases).

In 2021, 3,457 children were involved in crime, down 35.3 percent from 5,342 in 2020. Boys had 3,171 cases, down 34.4 percent from 4,833 in 2020, and girls had 286 cases, down 43.8 percent from 509 last year.

Info source – Bernama