Contrary to public perception, foreigners are not actually involved in the majority of crimes in the country, said the Malaysian Employers Federation.
MEF president Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said official figures provided by the police last year showed that only 7% of crimes in Malaysia were committed by foreigners.
"Malaysians like to blame all crimes on foreign workers and this perception is created largely due to media reports," Shamsuddin told reporters today at MEF's launch of a guidelines for employers on migrant workers.
Figures released last month by Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, however, showed that foreigners were involved in a total of 9,496 crimes between January and August this year.