Crime: Perception and publicity

— The Malaysian Insider
Jun 24, 2012

JUNE 24 — Datuk Seri Idris Jala has a tough job, to manage the performance and delivery of key government initiatives and targets from the economy to cutting index crime.

So, the minister and the PEMANDU chief executive has to work with the private and public sector on all these targets.

But telling the media how to report crime — be it solved or unsolved — isn’t really his brief. That’s just window-dressing, and there’s a limit to window-dressing, don’t you think?

The Sunday Star today carried an interview with Jala, where he called on the media to play its role in fighting crime and help arrest the “doom and gloom” by reporting on solved cases and not sensationalising crime by repeatedly reporting the same news.

“They should work closely with the police on communicating the cases that they have successfully solved. Sometimes, we need to arrest the doom and gloom by also focusing on the positives.

“If the statistics are not convincing, perhaps then we should try to dwell into how the police were able to bring the crime rates down in a specific area, for example, one of the hotspots,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Putrajaya’s efficiency unit has staunchly defended statistics showing street crime has fallen by 40 per cent in the past two years despite a recent spate of high-profile kidnappings and assaults.

These cases in the Klang Valley, one of which has left a teacher fighting for her life, have led to questions over PEMANDU’s claim that crime dropped by 11.1 per cent last year with street crime falling by 39.7 per cent in the last two years since crime reduction was made a National Key Result Area (NKRA) in 2010.

Yes, police statistics, where available, are pretty impressive.

But even within government circles and among some Cabinet ministers, there is little belief in PEMANDU’s figures or statistics.

Numbers don’t tell the stories that people pass on to each other, the violence and the fear among those who have been robbed in broad daylight or in the wee hours of the morning in what are supposedly safe areas.

In addition, there are several hundred thousand foreign security guards who protect Malaysian neighbourhoods, some which are now gated but still report incidents of crime.

It is an open secret that a fair number of Malaysians have lost trust in the police force and therefore don’t report crimes when they happen. Or often enough, are discouraged from reporting petty crime.

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13 Replies to “Crime: Perception and publicity”

  1. ///Putrajaya’s efficiency unit has staunchly defended statistics showing street crime has fallen by 40 per cent in the past two years despite a recent spate of high-profile kidnappings and assaults.///–

    There should be zero crime, period. A drop of crime rate may show progress, but the incidence of crime recently show that the police has not done enough. Indeed, it is because the police are not seen to have solved criminal cases to impress potential criminals to back off, that we see crimes being committed everyday.

  2. Today serious offences are wearing Bersih T-shirts…speak against the Govt…lighting candles praying for those arrested and held in police stations…and anything spoken against Najib…and not stealing…raping…burglary…cheating…races issues spoken to provoke and insult.
    Today’s police functions are solely to protect BN and Najib.

  3. Najib is reportedly speaking to 2000 students but always show him speaking and not once a picture of the crowd….like Anwar did.
    Go view that in Malaysiakini.
    Non stop mind control methods applied day and night.

  4. I will never report a crime to the police because I have this fear that they will siasat me instead of the criminal. Besides, criminals are very smart. They have their ways and means to find out who reported against them. I cooperated with the Singapore Police on a few occasions but I dare not do it in my own country.

  5. Stupid Lice Yak Dim opened his mouth, farrted nonsense n caused rioters in Jakarta 2burn a M’sian flag n hurl eggs n stones at d M’sian Emb@ssy n d M’sia Hall building
    He also endangered d lives of M’sians in I’sia

  6. ” The press made a printing mistake and everyone came out for my blood. This is not fair, man. Actually, I counted and came up with the exact figure-220,000-but 1 zero was left out due to printing mistake. ” – Lice Yaktim

  7. Statistic? Fighting crime using no? What matter is people must feel safe. Ask any one on the street, whether they are feel safe or not. Ask people who are in the business like CCTV and alarms business, how is their business?

    People simply do not FEEL SAFE. That matter most, and not you report the crimes.

  8. “Big issue morphed into small issue. Small issue then morphed into no issue.”

    Yeah, like Altantuyah so very big…. then morphed into a small pile of ashes…. then the wind blew away the ashes until none is left

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