PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: The presence of the police force would be very much felt in the near future specifically in important urban areas such as Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and George Town.

"The people want to feel assured and protected at all times," Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said yesterday.

"That said, the suburban and rural areas would not be forgotten and would be more protected by the police," he said at a news conference at his ministry.

"After meeting with Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and deputy IGP Tan Sri Ismail Omar on Tuesday, I have been assured that the public would be able to see more police patrolling the streets."

Syed Hamid said Malaysia still had a low crime rate compared to other developed countries.

He said according to a recent Interpol survey, Malaysia ranked lower than Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom in the crime rate measurement per 100,000 population.

Earlier, the minister received two cheques worth RM30,000 from Masterplan Consulting Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Ahmad Faris Abdul Halim (RM20,000) and Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation executive council member Tan Sri Robert Phang (RM10,000) on behalf of Chief Inspector Ng Wai Leong, who was shot in his left leg while on duty last month.