Victims might not belief that the crime rate is down

In January 2012 we read about a group of men who went on rampage smashing car windows at the Lobak flats, Seremban. At the moment, we haven't heard anything further on the case. Now in March 2012, we read about a group of men who went on rampage and smashed 16 vehicles parked in the compound of an electronics company at the Bayan Lepas industrial area.

I guess this would not be counted in the statistics which showed that the crime rate in Malaysia recorded a 15.4% drop during the first two months of 2012. A group of men going on a rampage is totally unexpected and we would not know the reasons behind their act until they are brought to justice. Sometimes, crimes such as the rampaging act puts a dampener on published statistics which affects the perception the public has on other crimes. The incidents of snatch thieves for example, might be less but it is perceived as still being rampant. The reality on the ground and the given figures do not seem to match when we had past experiences being victims of a crime.

The feeling of being violated whether being the victim of a snatch thief or a house robbery will linger long after the culprits are caught and given their dues. That insecure feeling will be related to others and those sympathetic to us will spread the tale to the next person. There will then be more people who know that in reality something is amiss. The figures which shows that there is a drop in the crime rate will fall on deaf ears. A general sense of disbelief would most probably be the reaction of any crime victim reading the statistics. Figures would remain just numbers on a piece of paper until the victim has regained his confidence that he will no be violated by another criminal in future.

Image from ibunoor