GEORGE TOWN: Public concern over violent crime continues to grow in the country, a leading criminologist said.

However, the country’s homicide rate remains low by global standards.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said Malaysia’s rate, currently around 0.7 to 0.9, aligned more closely with nations like Japan, Singapore and those in Scandinavia.

According to official data, a total of 476 murder cases were reported during 2023 and 2024 — translating to fewer than one murder per 100,000 people annually.

This figure positions Malaysia well below the global average of 5.8 homicides per 100,000, as reported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

It also compares favourably with regional neighbors: Thailand (3.2), Indonesia (1.6), and the Philippines (6.5, post-drug war era).

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy said Malaysia’s rate, currently around 0.7 to 0.9, aligned more closely with nations like Japan, Singapore and those in Scandinavia.

Sundramoorthy said despite the strong statistical standing, many Malaysians perceived violent crime — particularly murder — as a growing threat.

A 2022 National Crime Victimisation Survey found that while only two per cent of respondents felt unsafe from violent crime in their own neighborhoods, 65 per cent believed crime had worsened nationwide.

According to the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID), 261 murder cases were reported in 2023, averaging five cases per week or 21 per month.

For the period between January and November last year, the CID recorded 215 murder cases, averaging four cases weekly or 17 per month.

Selangor recorded the highest number of murder cases with 115 between 2023 and November 2024, followed by Perak (60 cases), Johor (59), Sabah (47), and Sarawak (36).

Elaborating, Sundramoorthy said the police had consistently emphasised that most murder cases in the country were not random, gang-related, or part of organised crime networks.

According to CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, over 60 per cent of homicide cases between 2020 and 2024 involved someone known to the victim — a spouse, family member, friend, or colleague.

Shuhaily said these were not killings committed by strangers on the street but emotional crimes, often triggered by domestic disputes, jealousy, or personal betrayal.

Police’s 2023 crime bulletin supported this, noting that contract killings, gangland murders, and syndicate-linked homicides accounted for less than eight per cent of total cases.

This article first appeared on NST.