Crime? What Crime? Malaysia is safer than Japan and Hong Kong!

I read 2 incredible news stories about the Malaysian crime situation. Apparently we are damn lucky because we are safer than Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. (And Singapore is only slightly safer than us.) Too bad for the people in those countries, they must be cowering behind their Solex locks since their crime index is worse than Malaysia's.

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This post from anilnetto.com


First, when the price of petrol was hiked, they told us to “change our life-styles”.

Now, when the crime rate appears to be high, they are telling us to “change our perception” of crime…

… and all will be well.

Najib was saying that our perception of worrying crime rates should be viewed in perspective: apparently Malaysia has lower crime rates than Japan and Hong Kong.

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And this one from the Singaporean paper, the Straits Times. (I'm only including certain parts)

Leap in crime? Don't worry
They have merely reclassified crimes like gang robbery to make the penalties heavier

Tuesday, 02 December 2008 09:01
By Carolyn Hong, The Straits Times

Gang robberies in Malaysia appear to have jumped drastically this year compared with the previous year, but police say the public should not worry too much.

Police have merely reclassified certain types of crimes so that criminals can be given heavier sentences if convicted.

'Malaysia is still a very safe country, but the problem is public perception. We are trying our level best to give a correct picture,' federal criminal investigation department director Mohd Bakri Zinin told The Straits Times.

Malaysia is a relatively safe country, said Datuk Mohd Bakri, as there are 772 crime cases for every 100,000 residents in Malaysia.

Singapore recorded 704 cases, Hong Kong 1,166 cases, Japan 1,569 and Australia 4,470 cases, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday: 'Based on the statistics given by the police, it indicates that the crime rate in Malaysia is lower than Japan and Hong Kong.

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Oh...I see. So stupid of me!

All those stories from my friends and relatives who suffered injuries from snatch thefts, killed in hit-and-runs, robbed at home at knifepoint, date-raped, conned of life savings, blatant corruption and so many other cases were actually ...what? Wrongly classified?

So crime in malaysia is just a matter of smoke and mirrors? There really aren't that many crimes occurring is it?

Well, can someone please clarify on some possible mitigating factors?

1) Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore are known for their dedicated, professional and clean police force. So people there do not hesitate to report any incidence of crime as they are confident of their complaint being looked into. Of course, everyone knows that in Malaysia, we have no such confidence in our force and probably half the crime in Malaysia is not reported.

Please clarify: what is the estimated ratio of reported and unreported crime here in Malaysia?

2) What constitutes a crime report in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore? It's common knowledge that certain crimes are openly tolerated in Malaysia: pirated DVDs, bribery, corporate kickbacks, illegal hawker stalls, illegal buildings, etc etc etc...Is it the same in those countries?

If we included all the crimes Malaysians close our eyes to, and held our country to the same standards as those used in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, what would our actual crime index be now?

3) People in Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong can generally leave their homes at anytime in the day or night and not worry about being mugged, raped, or murdered. Can Malaysians in general say the same?

Can we have a survey to compare the public's sentiments? Can we also include some reasons why the public feels this way?


I have been to Hong Kong and Singapore. They are teeming with people yet the feeling is that they are safe and protected. I have been out in Singapore til 4am. No signs of trouble or suspicious looking people loitering about, looking for the next victim. I have been out around town in HK until 3am. The city is still bustling with life, but again, no signs of trouble or suspicious looking people. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to go galavanting in Japan.

But I have been out and around town in KL at 3am. And I my number one worry is not so much of getting conned or mugged. It's that some cops will stop me and find some fault with me or my car so that they can arm twist some money from me.

No crime? Well, when criminals run the country, of course there's no crime! Unless, of course, you are gathering peacefully to light candles...Then the police would have to attack elderly folk, women and children for their dangerous criminal activity....We saw it with our Eyes Wide Open!