A TOTAL of 79,414 people had been nabbed under Op Cantas since it was launched in August last year, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said during the same period, 37,507 investigation papers were opened, of which 7,256 cases were taken to court while 28,486 were still under probe.
"As a result of the operation, gangsterism and triad activities have been reduced and kept under control," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed (BN-Pulai) who asked on the effectiveness of Op Cantas in combating organised crime.
Zahid said the police also seized 9,659 firearms, explosives and controlled weapons, as well as 2,379 vehicles believed to have been either been stolen or used in committing crimes.
"Op Cantas has also succeeded in lowering the number of high-profile cases, including murder and armed robbery."
The number of murder cases saw a reduction from 504 to 433 (a drop of 14 per cent); armed gang robbery cases dropped from 83 to 54 cases (34 per cent); gang robbery without firearms from 13,533 cases to 12,048 (9 per cent); and armed robbery dropped from 20 to 14 cases (13 per cent).
Zahid said a study conducted in July, September and October last year by independent organisation, Frost & Sullivan, showed that people's perception of public safety and the Royal Malaysian Police had improved.
He said out of a hundred people surveyed in October 2012, 57 expressed fear of becoming victims of crime. However, the figure fell to 37 a year later, showing an improvement of 19 per cent.
"This decrease is a positive sign of the people's support and cooperation towards the police's crime-busting activities."
Apart from Op Cantas, Zahid said the police had set up a special task force on organised crime (Stafoc), the Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotic Group (Sting), and the Crime Prevention and Eradication Department as part of continued efforts to ensure public peace and safety.
He called on local communities and non-governmental organisations to continue anti-crime initiatives, as the police remained under-equipped to deal with the needs and demands of modern society.
Zahid said more funds were needed, in particular, to increase the number of high-definition CCTV cameras and upgrade assets, such as police vehicles.
