There have been heated debates of late over the string of crimes, including high-profile cases, in the country. The Malaysian Insider reported that authorities have sought to downplay citizens’ concerns over crime, saying crime rate statistics do not support the perception. The news portal added that the government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) has blamed the media for “sensationalizing” crime.

“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,” Pemandu chief Idris Jala (right) was quoted as saying in an interview.

Crime is one of the key result areas of Pemandu’s Government Transformation Programme. Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua had alleged that the government had spun the real situation with regards to the statistics that it had presented in parliament.

“The government must stop the spin on the crime situation in the country. Pemandu and the Home Ministry must stop saying that the figures (on crime rates) is a matter of perception.

“There is absolutely no question that people do not feel safe on the streets regardless of the many ‘feel good’ selective statistics the government has released to the public,” said Pua (left).

Every once in a while someone – usually a politician or the police – would come out with similar statements, castigating the media for reporting or the way it reported on crimes. Now how is it in any way fair to blame the media for reporting crime stories the way they do? In terms of sensationalizing, newsmen would want to make their crime stories more interesting to increase sales.

Why would someone want to read a report which dryly recites the incident when they could instead be treated to a story filled with color, emotion, pictures, videos, and intriguing quotes? As long as nothing has been fabricated, then it should be fine.

If there’s anyone to be blamed for the alleged rise in crime rate it would be the criminals themselves and the authorities for not taking the necessary actions to ensure safety of the citizens. After all, the police are here to serve and protect. The government, meanwhile, should support the police to help them use more effective methods to prevent and reduce crime. Pemandu, which has been put to task in reducing the crime rate, would be the next to be blamed for not meeting its Key Performance Indicator (KPI) in this area.

Of course, credit should be given whenever it is due. So the police should always be rightfully praised for their achievements in fighting crime. However, crime should always be highlighted in the media simply to inform on the truth of the matter so that people will take more precautions to safeguard themselves especially in certain hotspot areas. What is wrong with that?

Bear in mind that besides news sources, the government and Pemandu have the social media (Twitter, Facebook , blogs etc) to deal with and these have proven to be more effective in influencing the sense of insecurity, to a certain extent. However, the authorities should know by now that word-of-mouth is something that is beyond their control.

The real issue now is that, regardless of the recent stats, the government, the police and Pemandu have to come to terms with the fact that there is growing insecurity with regards to safety. They should engage each other along with other related organizations to come up with effective ways to curb crime. You don’t really have to rely so much on the stats. Just check on your reliable news sources in the last couple of weeks to know for yourself the actual crime scenario in this country.


- mD