Penang's crime index drops 5.4%

GEORGE TOWN: Penang's crime index has dropped 5.4% this year according to state police chief Datuk Abdul Gafar Rajab.

He said 5,142 cases has been recorded as of Sunday this year compared to the 5,440 cases recorded in the same period for 2015.

Abdul Gafar expressed his confidence that the downward trend will continue and vowed to come down hard on crime under his watch.

"This downward trend has been consistently recorded since 2009 by the Penang police contingent," he said in a press conference today at the annual shooting competition for the TYT Cup.

Abdul Gafar also said police have detained 64 persons so far this year under the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2013 on suspicion of being involved in gangsterism.

He said this was one of the continuous efforts to prevent and curb crime in the state.