NUSAJAYA, Feb 21 — Singaporeans are not targets of crime in Johor, said the state’s police chief yesterday, pointing out that of about 17.4 million visits by this group to Johor, 397 Singaporeans fell victim to crime in the state last year.

Johor Police Chief Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff described the crimes Singaporeans fell prey to as common in nature — 348 of the offences involved property theft and the other 49 involved violent crimes such as robbery.

He revealed these numbers yesterday at a media briefing organised by the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore with Tourism Malaysia and the Iskandar Regional Development Authority to reassure Singaporeans that the special economic development zone of Iskandar and its outlying areas were safe.

Last year, a series of 13 shootings across several Malaysian states in late July and early August sparked concern over security across the Causeway. Among those gunned down were prominent figures, such as the founder of the Arab-Malaysian Development Bank.

In an interview with Bernama news agency earlier this month, Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he noted Singaporeans’ concern about their safety in Johor due to frequent media reports about crimes committed there.

Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Iskandar Malaysia.

Yesterday, Mokhtar said the police is in full control of the crime situation, noting that they had increased their manpower with 500 personnel. They also have plans to install 1,000 CCTV cameras in the state.

Last year, 17,105 crimes were committed in Johor, down 10.3 per cent from 2012 and a decrease of 36 per cent since 2008. — Today