If you’ve gone overseas before, you’ve probably been more careful with your belongings.
After all, I think we can all agree that not every country is as safe as Singapore.
Recently, a social media post put up by Les Lynn Lim on Facebook caught the attention of many Singaporeans and Malaysians alike, and it’s not hard to see why.
The post, which included photos and videos of Singaporean motorists getting robbed and injured in Johor Bahru, suggested that Singaporean tourists were being targeted by motorcycle gangs in Johor Bahru.
The caption also read: “Footage of Motorists gang in JB robbin Sporean motorists & cars…Those driving in pls b v v safe.”
However, the Johor police department has since rejected the post and claimed that it is spreading false information.
JB Police’s Statement
On Tuesday (19 April), the Johor police department released a statement to refute the claims made by the post, which seems to have been deleted.
Shahurinain Jais, Johor’s criminal investigation department chief, said that the post suggested that Singaporean tourists would get robbed if they visited Johor Bahru.
He also noted how the post seemed to insinuate the fact that the crime rate in Johor Bahru had risen after the land borders between Malaysia and Singapore reopened.
However, Mr Shahurinain announced that this is untrue, and also talked about how “the allegation is false because the current crime rate index in Johor does not show any increase”.
“Hence, the public is advised not to easily be fooled by what is circulating online, and to do checks to ensure that the information is true,” he explained.
In addition to that, Johor police also mentioned that the photos and videos were actually taken in 2014, but resurfaced recently and were spread across social media platforms once more.
Fall in JB’s Crime Rate
Mr Shahurinain’s statement also highlighted the decrease in the crime rate in Johor.
When comparing January to March of 2021 and 2022, there were 339 fewer cases in 2022, amounting to a 22.16% decrease.
In addition to that, property crime and assault cases decreased too by 22.55% and 20.54% respectively.
“All in all, the crime rate in Johor is still manageable and in preparation for the upcoming festive season while the border is reopened, the criminal investigation department is active in launching various operations to aggressively deter criminal activity, including eliminating entertainment, gambling and violence activities in the state of Johor,” said Mr Shahurinain.
“This is to ensure that the state of Johor is free from crime, safe to live in and will be keenly visited by people from around the country and overseas.”
Featured Image: facebook.com
