KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Malaysians continue to have faith in local law enforcement to address crime despite most saying that criminal activity around them has remained unchanged, according to a study by international research firm Ipsos.

In its “Views on Crime and Law Enforcement” poll, 25 per cent of Malaysian respondents also reported worsening crime levels around, although this was still below the global average of 34 per cent.

Ipsos’ Public Affairs senior research manager Azamat Ababakirov said that this indicated that Malaysia — along with countries such as Japan, South Korea, and Singapore — is benefiting from the measures taken by national law enforcement agencies to combat crime.

“Despite acknowledging that vehicle theft, burglary, and vandalism are common crimes in their communities, Malaysians are confident in law enforcement’s ability to combat violent and non-violent crimes,” he said in a statement announcing the survey’s finding.

“With confidence in law enforcement and initiatives announced through Budget 2023 to enhance the quality of service provided by the PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police), Malaysians emphasise economic growth and job creation as the government's top priority.”

According to the survey results, 52 per cent believed that crime or violence in their neighbourhood has stayed the same, 11 per cent believing it has decreased, while 15 per cent were unsure.

The global average for the countries surveyed was 45 per cent saying crime has remained the same, 34 per cent believe it has increased, and seven per cent believe it has decreased.

Regionally, respondents in Thailand and Indonesia reported growing levels of criminal activity around at 39 and 42 per cent, respectively; in Singapore, 14 per cent believe it has increased while 57 per cent believe it has remained the same.

The most common crimes Malaysian respondents said they have seen or heard about, in descending order, are: vehicle thefts, burglary, vandalism, illegal drug use, violence against women, drug trafficking, violence against minors, and violence against men. Gang activity and prostitution were the least noticed, at 27 per cent.

Despite their observations about crime, however, the survey showed that Malaysians did not place a high priority on combating it.

When asked if they would prefer the government focus on the economy or crime, 73 per cent said they would rather the government put its attention on restoring the economy while just 10 per cent chose crime.

Globally, the average was 57 per cent preferring economic building activities to 20 per cent prioritising crime fighting efforts.

Some 62 per cent of Malaysians surveyed also said they were confident that law enforcement would stop violent crime, 63 per cent would stop non-violent crime, 66 per cent would arrest the right perpetrators and 63 per cent would treat everyone with equal respect.

Ipsos said 23,039 adults under the age of 75 across 29 countries were interviewed online between March 24 and April 7 for the survey.