MIRI: The overall crime index in Miri for this year has seen a decrease from January to June 30 compared to the corresponding period last year, said city police chief ACP Lim Meng Seah.
Despite the overall decrease, crime rates for commercial cases have shown an increase of 137 cases or 162.7 per cent for January 1 to June 30 this year.
On the increase (in commercial crime), Lim attributed it to the Internet which has enabled criminals to prey on their victims from all over the world.
“The number of commercial crimes in the city has increased this year, and it involved mostly phone scams, e-commerce, or fake loans.
“We managed to solve 78 (commercial crime) cases out of that 137 (cases),” opined Lim during the city police monthy assembly held yesterday morning at the police headquarters here.
He also revealed that violent crime cases for this year (January 1 to June 30) has decreased with a total of 75 cases compared to 82 in the previous year while property crimes decreased by 10 per cent to 353 cases.
A total of 256 police officers from various ranks were involved in the monthly assembly.
At the event, 48 recipients including two mobile police vehicle (MPV) personnel — Corporal William Bell Jol, 55, and Constable Mohd Roni Manap, 26 — who were involved in the shooting incident with three robbers in Taman Tunku on May 16, were presented certificates of appreciation from the Sarawak Police Commissioner in recognition for their bravery.
Lim was later asked on the latest development on a case involving the discovery of a body floating at Niah River on Tuesday (July 2).
“We are waiting for the DNA test results to determine the identity of the body,” he said, adding that the results would be made known in two weeks.
The lower half of the body was discovered around 1.30pm by a fisherman who later alerted the police.
“A family of a missing elderly man who was reported missing on May 29 have submitted their DNA samples for analysis, and we have sent the samples to the forensics department in Kuching,” said Lim.
