Crime and Malaysia’s development agenda: An overview

Rapid urbanization and development are threatening social well-being and social safety with rising crimes. This article overviews the Malaysian government’s approach of ‘crime eradication through social development’ .The overview found that the core strategy of this approach was to reduce cimes by fostering an environment that was conducive to the enhancement of the quality of social life through the development of attractive and secure residential areas, the development of people-friendly public transportation system, the transformation of healthcare, the provision of access to quality and affordable housing, the provision of more reliable public utilities and amenities, the enhancement of road and neighbourhood security, and the protection of environmental heritage. The result of this strategic approach was Malaysia’s success in reducing by 15 per cent its general Crime Index, and by 35 percent its street crime index both exceeding the respective targets of 5 and 20 per cent set for 2010.