Commercial crimes on the rise in Miri despite awareness campaigns, says police chief

MIRI (Dec 13): The number of commercial crime cases reported here from January until last month have shown an increase compared to the same period last year.

Miri police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said in the first 11 months of this year, commercial crime cases rose by 16.24 per cent to 365 cases compared to January to November 2022 when 314 cases were reported.

“I do hope that the public would have better awareness of commercial crimes or scams. A lot of campaigns on scam or commercial crime had been carried out, and yet we continue to receive many reports on this crime.

“Each month, the statistics show that the number of reports lodged on commercial crime have increased,” he said at the monthly police assembly today.

Also showing an upward trend is the number of road accidents recorded.

Alexson said 3,249 accidents were recorded from January to November this year compared to only 3,046 last year.

“This showed an increment of 248 cases or 8.1 per cent,” he said.

For the crime index in Miri, Alexson said it has shown a downward trend with 256 cases recorded for January to November this year compared to 260 cases for the same period last year.

He applauded the Miri Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID), which made 1,026 arrests from January to November this year compared to 789 arrests for the same period last year.

“This success would not be possible without the commitment and continuous support from all, be it high-ranking officers or lower-ranking personnel,” he said.

Alexson also presented certificates of appreciation to police personnel for their success in curbing criminal activities, as well as pinned ranks for promoted personnel.