KOTA KINABALU: A total of 7,888 cases were registered in Sabah for the first 11 months of this year compared to 8,357 cases for the same period last year, a drop in the crime index of 5.61 per cent.
Sabah Police commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said yesterday snatch thefts were among crimes that showed a drastic drop from 400 cases last year to 80 cases this year.
The police targeted a drop of 20 per cent next year and efforts towards that had begun, Noor Rashid said after a ceremony to confer the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) rank and a briefing on the performance of Sabah police at the state contingent headquarters here.
Noor Rashid said there will be a stepping up of operations in areas that were the target of snatch thieves or had the potential to be a targeted area.
For the Jan-Nov period this year, violent crime like snatching, robbing and fighting dropped by 8.07 per cent to 1,310 cases compared to 1,425 cases last year.
Murder (under the violent crime category) remained at 67 cases, as for last year, with the majority of the crime being committed by foreigners, added Noor Rashid.
Besides targeting to reduce snatching, focus would also be on reducing house break-ins by increasing patrols in certain areas. “Property crime like break-ins and thefts also dropped from 6,932 cases last year to 6,578 cases this year, a drop of 5.11 per cent,” he said.
Noor Rashid said attention was not only given to the two crimes mentioned but efforts were increased to stem all criminal activities in the state. — Bernama
“As such we need the cooperation of the public to provide information. It is hoped such cooperation continues to ensure crime in Sabah is reduced,” he said. — Bernama