How to Make a Police Report in Malaysia

A police report, or laporan polis, is a formal record made under the Criminal Procedure Code (Act 593), principally sections 107 and 108 (the "first information report"). Anyone can lodge one, and it is free. Once recorded, the report is timestamped, given a unique reference number, and you receive a printed, stamped copy. That copy is the document third parties (insurers, JPN, Immigration, banks, embassies, employers) will actually ask to see.

A report serves two broad functions:

• Evidentiary or administrative: proof that you reported a loss or an event on a given date, used to obtain replacements or make an insurance claim. No suspect is named.
• Criminal complaint: alleging that an offence was committed, which may trigger a police investigation.

One useful clarification up front: a police report is a different document from a police clearance certificate (Certificate of Good Conduct), which is a separate record confirming you have no criminal record for visa or employment purposes. People often confuse the two. This guide covers the report only.

Common Malay terms you will see: repot polis (colloquial), carian laporan polis (retrieving a copy), salinan laporan polis (a copy), and e-Reporting (the online system).

You can walk into any police station (balai polis) nationwide. Larger district headquarters (Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah, or IPD) also handle investigations for serious matters and are where you later retrieve or certify records. Most report counters operate 24 hours.

The process at the counter:

1. Tell the duty officer (pegawai bertugas) you want to make a report.
2. Present your MyKad (or passport if you are a foreigner). This is the main thing to bring.
3. Narrate the facts clearly: date, time, place, what happened, item descriptions, serial or IMEI numbers, document numbers, vehicle registration numbers, and details of any other parties.
4. The officer records the report in Malay. Read it carefully before signing, because amending it later requires lodging a further report.
5. Sign it and collect your printed copy stamped with the report number. Keep it safe.

Filing in person usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the queue and complexity. Foreigners and tourists can lodge in person using a passport. Bring any supporting evidence relevant to the case: receipts, photos, screenshots, IMEI or serial numbers, insurance policy details for accidents, and medical documents if you were injured.

PDRM operates an e-Reporting portal at ereporting.rmp.gov.my for non-criminal cases only, chiefly the loss of documents and property that did not arise from a crime. It is free, and you can complete it in a few minutes and print or email the report instantly.

Eligibility: Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above. Register with your IC number, log in, fill in the incident details, submit, then download or email yourself the report.

Covered (loss not caused by a crime): MyKad or identity card, passport, road tax sticker or disc, land title, marriage certificate, bank or ATM cards, mobile phone, laptop, wallet, and similar documents or property. It also covers items such as cancellation of a maid's permit and natural disasters.

Not covered: theft, robbery, snatch theft, break-ins, accidents involving injury or third-party damage, assault, or any fraud or criminal matter. Those must be lodged in person so an investigation can be opened.

The online report is accepted for replacement applications at JPN, Immigration and JPJ, and by insurers. Foreigners cannot use e-Reporting and should go to a station.

Separately, a 2025 e-Police Reporting pilot lets motorists report minor, single-vehicle accidents on selected PLUS highways online. Its scope is limited, and most accidents still require an in-person report.

Lodging the report itself is always free. Charges only appear later, and mostly at other agencies. Users frequently confuse the free PDRM report with the JPN fine for replacing a lost MyKad, so the table separates them.

JPN fines are waived where the loss was caused by a crime (theft, robbery, snatch), for disaster victims, senior citizens aged 60 and above, persons with disabilities, and citizens under 18. Figures are as of 2026 and should be confirmed against the official JPN schedule before you apply.

The report is the official record used to block and replace lost documents and cards, and it protects you if your identity or card is misused. If an item was simply lost with no crime, e-Reporting online is acceptable. If it was stolen, pickpocketed or snatched, that is a criminal matter and must be reported in person.

Always include reference numbers (IMEI, document numbers) in the report, since agencies match against them.

Under Section 52 of the Road Transport Act 1987, a driver involved in an accident causing injury, death, or damage to another person or property must report to the nearest police station as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any case within 24 hours.

Failing to report without lawful excuse is an offence. On a first conviction it carries a fine of up to RM2,000 or up to 6 months jail, with heavier penalties for repeat offences.

Late reporting may be accepted if you have a valid reason, such as being hospitalised, but delay can jeopardise your insurance claim. Insurers commonly require a police report within 24 hours as a condition of cover, so treat the deadline as firm.

What to bring when reporting an accident:

• Your driving licence and identification
• Your vehicle details (registration number, make, model)
• The other party's details and vehicle registration number
• The location, time, and a clear account of how it happened
• Photos of the scene and damage if you have them

For accident reports, a copy is often available from the station a few days later once the report is processed. Bring your IC and reference number to retrieve it.

Scam reporting changed significantly in 2025. If you have been scammed, the faster you act, the better the chance your money can be frozen before it is moved on.

Call 997 first. The National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) is run by PDRM together with the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), Bank Negara Malaysia, MCMC, banks and telcos. Its job is rapid response: freezing and tracing funds before they are moved out through mule accounts.

Two key facts as of 2026:

• Since September 2025, 997 operates 24 hours, and a call to 997 is treated as an official police report. You no longer need to also visit a station to lodge a separate report for the scam itself.
• Call within 24 hours, ideally within minutes, so the money trail can be frozen.

Have ready: your details, the scammer's details, the chronology, transaction details (account numbers and amounts), and any URLs or links used.

Semak Mule (semakmule.rmp.gov.my, run by PDRM's Commercial Crime Investigation Department, CCID) is a verification tool you use to check a bank account number or phone number against the mule-account database before you transfer money. Use it to screen a recipient in advance; lodging the report itself still goes through a 997 call or a station.

For non-financial cybercrime such as harassment or fake profiles, a normal police report at a station or online is still the route.

Corruption and abuse of office are handled by a different body from ordinary crime. You can file with both if a matter overlaps.

Rule of thumb: a bribe, kickback, abuse of office, or misuse of public funds goes to MACC; almost everything else goes to the police. Corruption entangled with ordinary crime is often reported to both.

For harassment, threats or stalking, lodge an ordinary police report and bring evidence (screenshots, call logs, messages). Relevant offences include criminal intimidation (Penal Code s.503, punishable under s.506), stalking (s.507A, introduced in 2023), and offensive online messages (s.233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998).

Once your report is recorded and numbered, the police classify it. If it is a criminal complaint, they open an Investigation Paper (IP, or kertas siasatan). On completion, the IP is referred to the Attorney-General's Chambers or a Deputy Public Prosecutor to decide whether to charge.

Possible outcomes are a charge in court, or "No Further Action" (NFA) if the elements of the offence cannot be made out. NFA does not permanently close a case; it can be reclassified and referred again if new evidence emerges.

The police are not obliged to actively investigate every report. Under the Criminal Procedure Code, the duty turns on whether an offence is:

• Seizable (arrestable): listed in the CPC First Schedule (generally serious offences). Police may investigate and arrest without a warrant, and are duty-bound to investigate.
• Non-seizable: minor offences. Police cannot investigate freely and first need an order from the Public Prosecutor (in practice a Deputy Public Prosecutor), under CPC s.108. A report of a non-seizable matter may legitimately see no active investigation.

If you feel nothing was done, options include lodging a further or "covering" report, raising it with the OCPD or state police, referring the matter to the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) or SUHAKAM, or engaging a lawyer. A report cannot be physically deleted; a "withdrawal" in practice means lodging a further report.

Making a false report is itself a crime under the Penal Code (Act 574). Filing one can also expose you to a civil claim for defamation or malicious prosecution by the person falsely accused.

For accuracy: s.177 and s.182 share the same RM2,000 or 6-month ceiling in the ordinary case; only s.177's aggravated limb and s.203 rise to 2 years. Note that s.203A is a separate provision on unauthorised disclosure of information and does not concern false reports. Give facts objectively and honestly when you lodge.

The copy handed to you when you lodge, or the one you download from e-Reporting, is usually enough for most agencies and insurers.

If a party requires a certified or official copy (salinan diperakui or salinan sah), or you have lost your original, apply at the district headquarters (IPD) that holds the record, which is the station where you lodged it or its district office. This retrieval process is called carian laporan polis.

What to bring:

• Your MyKad (or passport)
• The report reference number
• The name of the station where you lodged it

A small fee may apply for a printed or certified copy, so confirm the current amount at the IPD. Processing can take time because the record must be retrieved and certified. For accident reports, the copy is often ready a few days after lodging.

One limit to note: the police may withhold the full investigation content of an active case. You are entitled to the report you lodged, but not necessarily to the internal investigation file.

Practical tip: the moment you finish lodging any report, note the report number and station name together. Without both, retrieving or certifying the report later is slower.