KUALA LUMPUR: Snatch theft and robbery crime index 2017 in Kuala Lumpur rose to 1,010 cases compared to 640 cases for the same period last year.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mazlan Lazim said the increase in snatch theft and robbery was due to public's lack of sensitivity to their valuable items thus providing criminals the opportunity to commit crime.
He said although this particular type of crime had increased, the overall crime index in the city had dropped to 11,815 compared to 15,785 in 2016.
"Most cases of robbery and snatch theft are carried out by certain individuals who are constantly eyeing the opportunity to commit a crime when they have the space to do so.
"Therefore, we have created a special team to deal with the crime by targeting the tourist attraction areas, thus preventing criminals from committing unwanted activities," he said during a press conference today at Kuala Lumpur police headquarters’ monthly assembly.
According to him, among the ‘hot’ areas for snatch theft and robbery which had caused tens of thousands of ringgit losses were in Bukit Bintang, Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman and the roads nearby shopping malls which were mostly visited by foreign tourists.
He said property crime index showed a decline, from 12,287 cases last year to 8,373 this year.
"At the same time, we also strive to deal with online gambling activity which has now becoming an alternative for gambling syndicates in attracting people to get involved in such unhealthy activity.
"The syndicates’ modus operandi is always to change their location to avoid being detained by the authorities. Besides they are also willing to give out their mobile phone numbers to gambling addicts to ensure that their activities can be run normally," he said.
Translated from Harian Metro