KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — The city’s police said the crime rate here declined by more than half during the first and second phase of the government’s movement control order (MCO), while 930 individuals have been arrested for flouting the MCO in the past four weeks.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said the first phase of the MCO from March 18 to March 31 saw the crime index in Kuala Lumpur fall by 57.4 per cent, with the crime index rate recorded at 184 or less than the threshold value of 432.
“Violent crimes recorded a decline by 62.8 per cent and property crimes recorded a decline of 55.5 per cent,” he said in a statement today on the first phase of the MCO.
As for the second phase of the MCO from April 1 to April 14, the crime index in Kuala Lumpur was recorded at 160 — again below the threshold value of 432 — or showing a decline of 63 per cent.
During the second phase of the MCO, Mazlan said violent crimes declined by 74.3 per cent, while property crimes declined by 59 per cent.
“The drop in crime rates during these two phases of the MCO is due to the police’s increase of the total number of roadblocks, mobile patrol vehicle (MPV) and motorcycle patrol unit (URB) patrols, police stations and setting up of monitoring teams that played a role in enforcing the MCO while also preventing crime from occuring,” Mazlan said.
Mazlan said the Kuala Lumpur police would continue to ramp up action via roadblocks and inspections to ensure the public complies with the MCO — which requires all to stay at home and not move about unless for essential activities and with exemptions only for those working in essential services.
Since the MCO was first enforced on March 18 until April 15 (yesterday which is also the first day of the MCO’s third phase), the police have arrested 930 individuals in Kuala Lumpur for breaching the MCO and other related offences.
Mazlan said these 930 individuals are composed of 828 males and 102 females with ages ranging from 16 to 86, including 502 who are foreigners.
When the total number of 930 is broken down by phases, the first phase of the MCO saw 200 arrested in Kuala Lumpur (187 males, 13 females), while the second phase saw 656 arrested here (572 males, 84 females), while the first day of the MCO’s third phase (April 15) saw 74 arrested (69 males, five females).
Mazlan explained that these 930 individuals were arrested as they were found to be in breach of the MCO such as by ignoring the advice or warning given by the police, refusing to cooperate and disobeying the orders of the police, as well as giving unreasonable reasons.
Out of the 930 individuals arrested in Kuala Lumpur, a total of 408 have so far been charged in court for various offences such as Section 22(a) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, Regulations 7 and 11 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020, Section 186 of the Penal Code, Section 25(1) of the National Registration Regulations and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act.
Mazlan also said that the police are always working hard to make Kuala Lumpur a “safe city”, adding that the police is seeking the public’s cooperation to comply with the MCO in order to break the chain of the transmission of Covid-19.
“In the third phase of this MCO, the police will also be taking sterner action towards individuals found to breach the MCO. Those with any questions or information can contact the Kuala Lumpur police hotline at 03-2115 9999, the Kuala Lumpur police’s Criminal Investigation Department’s 24-hour Bilik Gerakan Khas at 03-2146 0670 or any nearest police station,” he said.
The third phase of the MCO which started yesterday will go on until April 28.
