Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said in a statement that street crimes nationwide saw a significant drop of 37 per cent from January to August, while the overall crime index was also down by 16.24 per cent.

The figures were based on the Government Transformation Programme report.

He said the decline meant that the initial target of reducing street crimes by 20 per cent and the cutback of the crime index by five per cent for this year was within sight.

“Increasing the presence of police on the streets, a volunteer patrol scheme and the redeployment of 6,791 police personnel to the front line has impacted the fight against crime immensely,” he said.

Such initiatives were borne out of the cooperation and commitment between the Home Ministry, police and relevant agencies like the Civil Defence Department and the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela), he added.

Earlier this year, police began redeploying 6,000 desk personnel — those with the rank of assistant superintendent and below — to field work, while over 3,000 civil servants were roped in to fill the administrative gaps.

Hishammuddin said only 10 per cent of the entire police force went on leave during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season.

Over 4,000 police officers and traffic policemen have been patrolling residential areas or the main roads nationwide, especially in the Federal Territory, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

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