SMS crime reporting a hit in Malaysia

A text message-based crime-reporting system has proven to be a success, according to police in a Malaysian state.

Police in the state of Melaka in west Malaysia have received 300 SMS messages from the public since the scheme was launched on 5 September, said a report from official news agency Bernama.

Of these, a third were leads to actual crimes which the police managed to act on immediately, according to Melaka police chief Christopher Wan.

The scheme was launched because it was hoped that by increasing the level of anonymity, more crimes would be reported by the public, said Wan.

At a recent meeting of police chiefs held in Melaka, officers from other states have shown interest in the scheme and may implement similar text-based crime reporting systems soon, he added.

Text messaging has become a popular replacement in Asia for a variety of voice or face-to-face transactions. Malaysian can now check voter registration information, book bus or airline tickets and even check in at airports via SMS.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, the police have made it clear that those who can't stop messaging even while driving will face a driving ban and a fine.