KUALA LUMPUR: The country's crime index last year saw a 2.8 per cent drop from 2015.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said security intelligence had also managed to prevent Malaysia from becoming the target of terrorist attacks.
"From 2001 to December last year, we have arrested 537 militants and terrorists.
"This year alone, 31 people linked to terrorism have been arrested," he said in his speech this morning at the 210th National Police Day celebration in Pulapol.
Khalid also noted that the security situation in eastern Sabah had also improved after the gunning down of kidnappers from southern Philippines by the police in Ops Coral in December.
The event today also saw the launch of the Volunteer Smartphone Patrol (VSP) application by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, which enables the public to report crime via an app.