How to check the crime rate of a neighbourhood in Malaysia
In Malaysia, crime is recorded by the Royal Malaysia Police at the level of police districts, not individual streets. There is no public tool where you can type an address and get its crime rate. For the latest year on record, 2023, 52,444 crimes were recorded across 156 police districts, and 80% of them were property crimes such as theft and break-ins.
This page explains how to check the crime picture for a specific neighbourhood, shows the recorded figures by state, and is honest about what the numbers can and cannot tell you.
The short answer: how to check a neighbourhood
- On a MyRumahBaru listing or area page, the crime indicator for that location shows the figures for the police district it sits in, next to the price and the flood risk.
- Find out which police district your neighbourhood belongs to. Crime is reported at that level, so two areas in the same district share the same official figures.
- Focus on property crime — theft, break-ins, vehicle crime — since that is what most affects a resident day to day, and it is the bulk of what gets recorded.
- Visit at night and on a weekday. Lighting, footfall, and how secure the parking and entrances are tell you things no dataset will.
- Ask the building management or neighbours about recent incidents, and check whether the area has guards, boom gates or CCTV.
Recorded crime by state, 2023
Property crime — theft, break-ins, vehicle crime — makes up 80% of recorded crime nationally, so it is the category that matters most when you are choosing where to live. The table below shows recorded crimes and the property-crime share for each of the 14 states and territories on record.
These are counts, not rates. A bigger, more populated state records more crimes without necessarily being more dangerous per person, so read down a column to compare property share, not across states to rank them.
| State or territory | Police districts | Recorded crimes | Property crimes | Property share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selangor | 15 | 13,739 | 10,786 | 79% |
| Johor | 14 | 5,330 | 4,102 | 77% |
| Kedah | 11 | 4,567 | 3,847 | 84% |
| W.P. Kuala Lumpur | 6 | 4,540 | 3,600 | 79% |
| Sabah | 20 | 4,117 | 3,583 | 87% |
| Sarawak | 28 | 4,045 | 3,487 | 86% |
| Pulau Pinang | 5 | 3,604 | 2,784 | 77% |
| Perak | 15 | 3,572 | 2,720 | 76% |
| Kelantan | 10 | 1,994 | 1,604 | 80% |
| Negeri Sembilan | 8 | 1,895 | 1,478 | 78% |
| Pahang | 11 | 1,875 | 1,466 | 78% |
| Melaka | 3 | 1,457 | 1,147 | 79% |
| Terengganu | 7 | 1,370 | 1,123 | 82% |
| Perlis | 3 | 339 | 264 | 78% |
Recorded crimes by state for the latest year on record. These are counts of reported crimes across each state's police districts, not rates per person, so a larger, more populated state naturally records more. Use them for the property-crime share and to check a specific district, not to rank whole states against each other.
Where these numbers come from, and their limits
The figures are district-level crime statistics recorded by the Royal Malaysia Police and published as open data on data.gov.my, for 2023. They are official government statistics, not MyRumahBaru's own measurements, and they describe a whole police district rather than a single street or building.
They count reported crimes. Crimes that are never reported do not appear, and reporting rates can differ between areas. A low recorded count is reassuring but not a guarantee, and a higher count in a busy commercial district often reflects footfall rather than danger to residents.
Because the figures are counts rather than rates per person, they cannot fairly rank one state or district against another of a different size. Use them to understand the make-up of crime in an area — how much of it is property crime — and to compare a neighbourhood against the district it belongs to.
What actually keeps a home secure
- Gated-and-guarded schemes, boom gates and a manned guardhouse deter opportunistic property crime, which is the most common kind.
- Good lighting and active streets matter more than a quiet, isolated spot that looks peaceful by day.
- For strata, ask about CCTV coverage of the car park and lobbies, and how access cards are controlled.
- For landed homes, look at the fencing, the gate, and whether neighbours keep an eye on each other.
Wondering about a specific area? Tell Sarah where you are looking and she can show you the crime and flood indicators next to the listings.
Chat with SarahCommon questions
How do I find out the crime rate of a neighbourhood in Malaysia before renting there?
Crime in Malaysia is recorded by the Royal Malaysia Police at police-district level and published on data.gov.my. In 2023, 52,444 crimes were recorded across 156 districts, 80% of them property crime. On MyRumahBaru, the crime indicator for a listing or area page shows the figures for the police district that location sits in, so you can check a neighbourhood without digging through government datasets. Then visit at night, and ask about guards, lighting and CCTV.
Is crime data in Malaysia public?
Yes. The Royal Malaysia Police publish district-level crime statistics as open data on data.gov.my. They are broken down by police district and crime category rather than by address, so they take some work to apply to a specific neighbourhood, which is why MyRumahBaru surfaces the relevant district figures on each listing and area page.
What kind of crime is most common in Malaysia?
Property crime — theft, break-ins and vehicle-related crime — is the largest share, at about 80% of recorded crime nationally. That is the category most relevant when you are choosing a place to live, since it is what most affects residents day to day.
Does a neighbourhood’s crime rate affect property value?
It can. Areas with a reputation for property crime may see softer demand, while gated-and-guarded schemes often command a premium precisely because buyers pay for security. But perception and reality can diverge, so check the recorded figures rather than rely on reputation alone.
Can I see the crime rate for a specific street or condo?
Not exactly. Malaysian crime statistics are recorded per police district, so the figures apply to the whole district a street or building sits in, not to that single spot. For a specific building, combine the district figures with a night-time visit and questions about on-site security.