However, Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said Malaysia’s crime index ratio has improved, with seven states recording rates below the national average last year.

The crime index ratio per 100,000 population in 2019 was 256.6 compared with 273.5 in 2018.

The seven states are Sarawak (214.6), Perlis (207.5), Perak (195.8), Pahang (195.7), Kelantan (188.2), Terengganu (150.3) and Sabah (143.5).

Uzir said the crime index ratio is on a decline across the nation, except for Penang, Sarawak and Terengganu.

On juvenile crime statistics, he said the number of youths under 18 years involved in crime dropped by 8.7% from 5,294 cases in 2018 to 4,833 cases last year.

“The number of boys involved in crime decreased by 9.2% while girls remained the same as in the previous year with 290 cases,” he said.

The report also found that men accounted for the majority of crimes in 2019, making up 95.7% of drug addicts and 82.9% of arrests for corruption-related offences. The number of convicted male prisoners also stood at 89.5%.