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Crime Statistics in Kuantan: Is it Getting Safer, or Are the Ghosts Just Distracting Us?

@Elias Vance2/14/2026blog
Crime Statistics in Kuantan: Is it Getting Safer, or Are the Ghosts Just Distracting Us?

so i'm in kuantan, and let me tell you, the humidity here is no joke - it's like breathing through a wet sock that's been sitting in a gym bag. but i'm not here to complain about the weather (though honestly, it's something else). i'm here because i heard the old pahang museum is haunted by a colonial officer who still complains about the humidity. but everyone i meet keeps switching the topic to crime stats. like, is it getting safer or is the city just hiding its ghosts better?

as a ghost hunter, i'm used to sensing presences, but sometimes the real threat is the living. so i decided to dig into the numbers, because numbers don't lie (unlike that poltergeist at the chenderong hotel that kept moving my snacks). i grabbed a teh tarik at a mamak at 2am and struck up a conversation with razak, who's been slinging teh for 15 years. he told me: 'bro, used to be you couldn't walk past the esplanade after 10pm without someone trying to snatch your bag. now? less of that, more of these idiots on scooters texting while driving.' he pointed to his forehead. 'that's the real danger.'

i checked the official stats. according to the pahang police chief's statement last quarter, snatch thefts dropped significantly while house break-ins saw a slight increase. so maybe people are just stealing from empty houses instead of robbing you on the street? that's my ghost hunter intuition - criminals are getting sneakier, like specters.

rent here is pretty cheap if you know where to look. i'm crashing in a room above a laundromat for rm400 a month. the landlord said 'no ghosts, but the neighbors practice gamelan at 6am. that's worse.' i believe him. but if you want something nicer, a one-bedroom apartment near the beaches (teluk cempedak is a short drive away) will set you back around rm800-1200. that's according to a local property agent i found on facebook groups.

brown wooden bridge over the sea during daytime


i saw this bridge near cherating and it felt like i stepped into a postcard. the water was so still it looked like a mirror. perfect spot for a ghost to appear, but nope, just me and some fishing boats.

job market? tourism is picking up after covid. hotels are hiring, but the pay is crap. my friend who does ghost tours (yeah, that's a thing) says he makes enough to buy extra incense but not a car. he told me: 'most of my clients are tourists who want to see the 'real' kuantan, which apparently includes abandoned hospitals and old chinese temples. i take them to the most haunted spots, but i always warn them: watch your wallets. the ghosts don't steal, but people do.'

the weather right now is like a warm soup that never ends - sticky, with a side of sudden downpours that last exactly seven minutes. i love it. makes the ghosts more active, i swear. and hey, if you need a break from the heat, the cool highlands of cameron highlands are just a 3-hour drive away. or you can hop a flight to langkawi for a weekend.

kuantan has these brutalist buildings from the 80s that are painted in weird colors. i call it the 'ghost palette' because they look like they're from another dimension.

yellow pink and green concrete building


this one is near the central market. i tried to take a ghost selfie here but the colors were too distracting.


here's a map to give you an idea of the layout. the esplanade runs along the coast, and the haunted spots are mostly in the older parts inland.

i also overheard some gossip at the central market.

> 'my cousin works at the police station. he says most crimes are drunk fights at the wet market. nothing spooky, just human stupidity.'

> 'that expat lady at the hostel swears she saw a pickpocket melt into the shadows like a vampire. i think she just lost her phone.'

classic.

if you're planning to visit, here's some drunk advice from a local i met at a bar: 'don't flash valuables at the night market, but also don't carry a huge bag. just a small crossbody. and if someone offers you a ride on a motorcycle at midnight, say no. even if they say it's a shortcut through the haunted cemetery.'

i looked up some online opinions. there's a thread on tripadvisor where people debate safety: is kuantan safe for solo travelers?. on yelp, the late-night mamaks have high ratings for being open and safe: best mamak in kuantan. and the local subreddit r/kuantan has a recent post about rising petty theft: r/kuantan - watch out for snatch thieves. also, this expat blog gave me the lowdown on renting: expat living in kuantan.

so is kuantan getting safer? i'd say it's a mixed bag. the streets feel safer at night than they did five years ago, but you still gotta be smart. maybe the ghosts are helping? i'm kidding. or am i?

anyway, i'm off to check out that haunted hospital. wish me luck, and if you see a ghost, tell it to pay its share of the rent.

i've been walking around kuantan like a lost soul. the old town has these narrow lanes where you can feel history, but also maybe a pickpocket. the newer areas like kuantan city mall are bright and loud, but i heard the parking lot is a hotspot for car break-ins. my ghost hunting buddy who lives here says the most haunted place is actually the abandoned textile factory on the outskirts. he claims to have seen a ghostly weaver who still runs the looms. i haven't been yet because it's far and i don't have a bike. but i will, because i need data for my blog.

police patrols seem more visible now, especially on weekends. they've got these shiny new motorcycles. but i wonder if they're just ghosts of policemen from the past? okay, that's silly.

the locals are mostly chill. they'll warn you if something's sketchy. like this fishmonger at the market who told me 'don't buy dried shrimp from the guy with the hat, he shortweights.' that's not crime, but it's fishy.

a plate of nasi lemak costs about rm5, and it's enough to feed a small ghost. i live on that stuff.

the rain here doesn't mess around. one minute it's sunny, next minute you're soaked. but it cools things down for exactly ten minutes. then back to sauna.

they're building a new waterfront development. hope it doesn't bring more crime. or maybe it'll bring more ghosts? i'll check it out when it's done.

i still haven't found that colonial officer ghost. maybe he's too busy haunting the police station to bother with tourists.

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About the author: Elias Vance

Just a human trying to be helpful on the internet.

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