GEORGE TOWN, Aug 19 — The Penang government hopes to work with the police to create a “crime map” indicating areas where crimes are prevalent to serve as an advisory to the public.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (picture) said the crime map would have “hot spots” marked out to advise the public to exercise extra caution when they are there.

“We urge victims to lodge police reports so that it can be marked on the map. It does not matter if the crime is big or small,” said Lim.

“I will contact Penang police chief Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi to see if we can come up with the map.

“We will offer resources needed to create the map and put it online and in public areas to warn people,” he said.

“Sometimes you need to know which areas are safe and those that you have to be extra careful,” he said in reference to Abdul Rahim’s statement on Saturday that the crime rate in Penang had gone up by 4.7 per cent this year.

Lim maintained that despite the rise in the crime rate, Penang was still the “safest” state in the country as the index had been going down gradually over the past five years.

“We are not happy with the sudden rise this year and we have to take steps to keep tabs on the crime rate.

“The increase in crime rate in Penang is difficult for us to accept because the index had been dropping since 2008.”

He said the map will complement the state’s crime surveillance programme, where voluntary patrol teams conduct community policing in their housing areas and the programme to increase closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in the state.

“We have directed the Penang Island and Seberang Perai Municipal Councils to install additional 70 CCTVs and 55 CCTVs respectively. This is on top of the existing 60 CCTVs on the island and 44 on the mainland.

“The additional 125 CCTVs will cost the state RM3 million,” he told reporters after opening the Straits Green Playground-By-The-Sea at Seri Tanjung Pinang yesterday.