The Best Police Force in the World Will Not Bring down a High Crime Rate in a Materialistic Society
| Author | Yik Koon Teh |
| DOI | 10.1350/ijps.2009.11.1.104 |
| Published date | 01 March 2009 |
| Date | 01 March 2009 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The best police force in the world will not
bring down a high crime rate in a
materialistic society
Yik Koon Teh
Faculty of Human and Social Development, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok,
Kedah, Malaysia. Email: ykteh11@yahoo.com
Received 16 September 2007; accepted 27 March 2008
Keywords: Malaysia, crime rates, policing, causes of crime
Yik Koon Teh, PhD, is Associate Professor of
the same time being confronted with weak norm-
Criminology and Sociology at the Faculty of
ative restraints on legitimate means to achieve.
Human and Social Development, Universiti Utara
The two theories suggest that certain cultural
Malaysia. Her present research interests are
conditions, in combination with certain structural
prison reform and corrections, fraud and corrup-
conditions, generate anomie and a high crime
tion, crime prevention strategies, and gender
rate. At present, Malaysia’s capitalistic and
and sexuality. She is also active in non-
materialistic culture has generated cultural and
governmental organisation (NGO) work, particu-
structural conditions that are highly conducive to
larly in helping out marginalised communities.
a high crime rate. Increasing the police force and
improving policing will not be enough to reduce
the high crime rate.
ABSTRACT
The increasing crime rate in a rapidly developing
country like Malaysia has caused its citizens to
INTRODUCTION
feel unsafe. The Malaysian Government has to
Malaysia is a fast-developing country with a
increase the police force and review its training
population of about 26.6 million people
programmes. This paper argues that even with the
(Department of Statistics, 2007). Since
best trained police force, the crime rate will remain
Independence in 1957 and until 2005, real
high. This is due to the highly capitalistic and
gross domestic product (GDP) has grown
materialistic culture of the Malaysian society that
by an average of 6.5 per cent (Economic
has led to the occurrence of elements of Robert
Planning Unit, 2007a, p. 3). Within the
Merton’s (1938) theory of Anomie — excessive
same period, GDP per capita in current
emphasis on monetary goals regardless of the
prices grew by 7.0 per cent per annum
moral status of the means used to achieve them.
which has translated into substantial
Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld’s (2001)
improvement in the people’s quality of life.
Institutional-Anomie theory states that anomic
During the period from 1991 to 2005,
pressure arises when there is an overemphasis on
the Malaysian economy grew at an average
the market ethic that undermines the regulatory
rate of 6.2 per cent per annum (Economic
International Journal of Police
Science and Management,
power of social norms. This results in individuals
Planning Unit, 2007a, p. 5). Growth has
Vol. 11 No. 1, 2009, pp. 1–7.
DOI: 10.1350/ijps.2009.11.1.104
feeling an overriding pressure to achieve and at
been achieved with inflation averaging a
Page 1
The world’s best police force will not bring down a high crime rate
low 2.9 per cent per annum and low unem-
well as attracting targeted high-quality for-
ployment averaging 3.1 per cent over the
eign direct investment. These have been
period.
carried out to enhance competitiveness and
Poverty in Malaysia declined substantially
efficiency, to reduce financial burdens on
during the period from 1990 to 2004: from
the government and to expedite the attain-
22.8 per cent in 1990 to 5.7 per cent in
ment of national distributional goals.
2004 (Economic Planning Unit, 2007a,
However, the national mission, which is
p. 10). However, the share of income of the
a highly capitalistic one, has a price to pay
bottom 40 per cent declined from 14.5 per
in the form of an increasing crime rate over
cent in 1990 to 13.5 per cent in 2004,
the years of economic progress. Although
while the share of the top 20 per cent
the poverty rate has declined and the unem-
increased slightly from 50 per cent in 1990
ployment rate has been low and stable,
to 51.2 per cent in 2004. Correspondingly,
property-related crime has increased from
the national Gini coefficient (a measure of
3.3 cases per 1,000 population in 1990 to
income concentration which ranges from 0
5.3 in 2004 while violent crimes have risen
to 1, where 0 denotes complete equality of
from 0.5 cases per 1,000 population in 1990
income share and 1 represents total inequal-
to 0.9 in 2004 (Economic Planning Unit,
2007a, p. 13). Based on the crime index as
ity) worsened from 0.442 in 1990 to 0.462
shown in Table 1, reported violent crimes
in 2004.
and property crimes have increased over the
Although the population has become
five years from 2002 to 2006. From 2002 to
increasingly urbanised and educated while
2006, violent crimes have increased from
the middle income group has expanded,
20,843 cases to 30,174 cases; an increase of
there are still considerable income and
45 per cent. During the same period, prop-
wealth inequalities as well as differences
erty crimes have increased from 128,199
between rural and...
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