Another shocking crime report in today’s newspapers — “Man dies in bid to foil car theft” (The Star), how a factory worker Tan Chee Wai, 31, was stabbed to death near his home in Taman Seri Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, at 7 am yesterday to prevent four men from stealing a car.
In Johor Baru, a woman was slashed in the early hours of Thursday morning when she was robbed at a petrol kiosk to refill fuel.
The day before in Johor Baru, a Nanyang Siang Pau woman reporter who had told the Johor State Chief Police Officer the previous day that the crime situation in the town was so bad that she dared not come out at night was herself injured when she was a victim of an attempt snatch theft.
Nobody is safe from crime or spared from the fear of crime, particularly in the hot spots of crime in Johor Baru, Klang Valley, Penang and Ipoh — despite the recent increases in police pay and personnel as well as a lot of P.R. by top police officers.
Even the police are not safe in the privacy of their homes, as illustrated by the case of L/Kpl Redzuan Mat Nor, 41, from the Batu Arang police station, who was badly injured when he put up a fight when three robbers broke into his house in Taman Pelangi, Rawang last Saturday. Redzuan was slashed with a parang.
The question all Malaysians are entitled to demand an answer is why the Police cannot give clear-cut assurances that with recent pay increases, the people can be and feel safer in their homes and communities and the public can get better services from the police, with victims or witnesses to crimes treated better by the police?
The crime index had been on an unchecked increase in the past four years although the police force had set the target of reducing the crime index by five per cent each year while the Royal Police Commission had proposed a more ambitious target of a minimum of 20% decrease in each category of crime within a period of 12 months from mid-2005.
Crime statistics show the police fighting a losing war against rising crime as the crime index worsened from 156,315 cases in 2003 to 226,836 cases in 2006, a sharp rise of 45.1% in the past three years.
In the first five months of this year, crime index has further worsened, with the country recording a 8.7 per cent increase in the crime index between January and May this year as compared to the first five months of last year.
This does not give a true picture of the grave crime situation as these are reported crimes, and there is a serious problem of unreported crimes with many victims of crimes not lodging police reports because they have no confidence in the police.
It is because of this rising crime in the country that the Parliamentary Caucus on Human Rights and Good Governance is holding its third public hearing in Bukit Mertajam at Jit Sin Chinese Independent Secondary School at 10 am tomorrow.
The Police have rightly said that fighting crime cannot be left to the police alone. But the Police must demonstrate that it appreciates public assistance by not only sending it top officers to the Caucus public hearing in Bukit Mertajam tomorrow but by declaring that it has no objection to media coverage of the public hearing.
This will be proof that the Police is getting out of its serious denial complex in refusing to admit that it is facing a crisis of confidence as to how to make the streets, public places and privacy of homes safe and secure again for citizens, tourists and investors.
I was in my Singapore home yesterday, brought my wife and son to watch midnight show near our neighbourhood cinema. We took a slow walk home about 2.15am without any fear. What has become of our once peaceful country?
I won’t bring my wife and son out at night in JB.
It has to be admitted that crimes have not been that explosive and violent ever since the security beefed up. Every night, we see helicopters in the sky and armed policemen patrolling the street.
Big time criminals are certainly lying low. Probably they’re out of the state of Johor and are now hiding in other states like Pahang.
Still, it did not stop small time criminals from making their rounds in unattended areas.
We need effective measures like citizen policing. But that idea subjects to hot debate right now. How effective will people and police collaborates? It remains to be seen.
But thus far, we have not dwell on the issue on why people turns to crime.
why bother? our SWAT team are on the move…or MIA ( Missing In Action )
Sorry folks, they are still very busy with peaceful demonstrators, activists, and bloggers. Seems like they are making examples out of these people so that the criminals will be very SCARED of pulice!
while my wife in s’pore, she walk from Ikea to her house @ 9+pm and that is about 20mins walk. She can walk without fear. Over here? I don’t think so. after the poor Tan was murder (near my house), i think i won’t walk in the night nor early morning. Police must know this also concern the safety of the students in the area whereby they walk to school or taking bus in early morning hours. Their life are in danger. Pls don’t wait until another innocent life is taken away then only the Police will take action????
police will need to take another 10-15 years to build back their reputation as the rakyat protector. their image have been severely damaged by many corrupted cops. 10 to 15 years if they consistently doing their job.
AAB will need to wake up and walk the talk, not sleeping in the sleep again. don’t tell us that we have to wait until the 2057. by the time, you will bet that everybody will forget about your promised. But AAB may have forgotten that Internet is here to stay. your talks, promised are being archived and available in the Net for the future reference. Haha. Talks are not cheap anymore. It will cost you more damaged than you ever think of.
The criminals know that the our cops are too incompetent to aprehend them. Look at the Mongolian murder’s case. The testimonies by the UTK…supposedly the special branch of the police wing can’t even keep proper records of their ammunition! Can you imagine that! What crap is this? Weapons and ammunition can be smuggled out or given to certain quarters to bump off those who don’t tow the line. We have read about killings that look like professional hit men. Are these a coincidence or a set up.The criminals are also the law enforcers! Only in BOLEHLAND.
There is no question in my mind that we the public have to protect our own interest. Forget about the police. They are there for votes only.
We have police? Since when? Legal gangster got lah…
Hello the citizens of Malaysia, lets face the fact that the Police of this country is incompetent in tackling the crime situations in this country. We all need to take certain pre caution when we are out and in our homes. The crimes usually happen during wee hours in the morning and at night. It is the best interest of the public to avoid coming out of their homes during these hours. It is best to avoid petrol kiosk, car park basement, etc as it happen many times before. Carry weapons in homes and cars for self defense. Help your fellow citizens to fight the criminals and work together as a team. And remember to use your vote to get rid of incompetent public servant, so that CHANGE can happen.
I am getting a house in Singapore soon. Its a very safe place.
it used to b when there was a case where police did not do anything or was incompetent, then there is a whooha n then police will put their act together at least for a short term.
now, when there are big cases n ppl make noise, they don care anymore. they will let u make noise until u get sore throat n then quiet down. then tt is tt…
this is wat being tolerant of their bo chup behavior has gotten us.
I hear helicopters hovering ard my housing area every night. This is certainly a good sign but what can a helicopter view see on the streets of JB. Patrol cars and stationary police kiosk would be better. Why haven’t I heard of measures taken in petrol kiosk like CCTV? What are actually been done since we have many cases at petrol station? Why are we discussing media coverage at crimes forum? STOP all these nonsense and start tackling the root cause.
Msia is slowly but surely turning to the golden years of HK where it was being dictated by triads.
So instead of calling them Police, why dont we just call them Puuuhhhllleeeaaasseeeee! PLease buck up!
People hire maids. I think I am getting a Gukha security guard
I dont see much effort from Police except during recent high profile cases but its going to be forgotten soon. Why can’t police educate the public more by organizing crime seminars to school and public about the criminals and precaution that we need to take. With knowledge, crimes can decrease.
It has to do with the current leadership. We need people like Thaksin or Rudolph W. Giuliani, former mayor of New York. Both are tough politician and effective. Our current one is too soft.
The Malaysian Police really does not deserve any pay rise as it has not shown itself worthy of getting that type of pay. Despite the recent pay rise, crime rates in Malaysia keep on rising. And what can the chief of police say?
How can we depend on the police for protection when at one time, the police themselves need protection. Still remember the time when one of the police station was invaded and after that soldiers from the army were put as sentry in front of police stations and police stations were classified as “protected areas”? If the police can even protect their own police station, then how can it protect the rakyat?
It has always been the respond time to act on a report. The crook knows that Malaysian police respond time is more than 30 min. So as long as they complete the job in less than 30 min, the police cannot do anything. By the time the police arrive, all they do is call for witness.
We have seen pay rise —> crime rate also rises
So, pay cut —> crime rate also drops? Why not give this hypothesis a try? We have nothing to lose
[Mob attacks two suspects]
Rescued by the police…BUT, the suspects ‘escaped’ from the police station while waiting for ambulance. Probably, the poolice were too busy hiding Nat during that time.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20070715074640/Article/index_html
This is why the number of criminals never go down:
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/20070715074824/Article/index_html
1. because the criminals are never put into the jail.
2. police(terencat akal I guess) forget that they have captured the criminals.
[deleted]
Visit Malaysia Year my foot!! Tourists are scared to come to Malaysia now. There are countries also issuing warnings to tourists who intend to visit Malaysia. The problem is the BN government is corrupted, incompetent, and is guilty of crime themselves. We have a sleepy PM who does not walk the talk, and is more befitting to be an imam rather than a PM.
Despite all these overwhelming cases of violent crimes, we have “official” media apologist with their heads in the sand. Read the STAR’s V.K. Chin’s “Comments” of July 12th below and his sarcastic remarks about JB citizens expecting a policeman to guard each house. I suppose he would not be able to feel the pain and anguish of the victims or their families whose lives will be destroyed forever until the day something similar happens to him, a fate I do not wish to happen to anyone, including him or his family. But I hope he can be more sympathetic to those who has to live with such trajedies for the rest of their lives. He is missing the trees for the forest. He cannot see that those bestial crimes that are committed cannot be prevented by the people themselves because the criminals are so blatantly bold because they know the police are not effective and this encourages more of them to carry out their evil acts:
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V.K. Chin
People too must be responsible for their security
WHEN it comes to fighting crime, policemen will always find themselves in a no-win situation. No matter how hard they work in battling criminals, people will never be satisfied.
What is demoralising is that their successes will be quickly forgotten but they will get the blame when criminals are active. They will always find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
It is obvious that maintaining law and order is not merely the responsibility of the police or the government. People too have a part to play. There will never be sufficient resources and even if police personnel should be doubled or trebled, it would still not be sufficient.
The crime busters cannot be everywhere, and nowadays, criminals are very mobile and difficult to detect. Many rape cases for example are crimes of opportunity. If a group sees a possible victim in an isolated area, they would pounce.
Some of them are so daring they would attack even if a girl was accompanied by a male if they believed they could get away with their act.
Such offences are difficult to prevent because they were unplanned but committed by those with twisted minds to satisfy their lust. The fact that the offences were usually committed at night made it hard for victims to provide specific information to police.
Presently, Johor police are facing the brunt of public anger because the state, particularly Johor Baru, is seen as being riddled with crime and that the men in blue are helpless in dealing with the situation.
Followed by what was perceived as a crime wave, members of the public are naturally up in arms and demanding action from the police, who are already overstretched.
They are demanding that more uniformed cops be seen in the city to discourage criminals from the area. But the government and Bukit Aman’s dilemma is: how many is considered enough?
From what can be gathered, it appears that JB residents would feel safe only when there are policemen guarding every street. Better still, one for each house, perhaps?
Looking at the situation and the number of uniformed policemen available, even deploying all of them from the other states to JB or Johor would still leave them understaffed.
Under the circumstances, it is time for Johoreans and all Malaysians to wake up to the fact that they cannot leave their security and safety to the police alone. They too have a role to play to protect their lives and property.
They can do this by working closely with the police in guarding the areas they live in. In other words, set up their security arrangements among the residents and the best way of doing this is to form Rukun Tetangga beats.
They can then patrol their residential areas with police assistance especially at night. This is what they should do if they and their families wish to sleep soundly at night without the fear of intruders.
Whenever I visit Singapore, all my worries is behind my back. No worry about being knocked down by a motorist who not observe red-lights/pedestrian crossings. No worries of snatch thief.
I felt so at home and safe in Singapore. Once cross-border back to home-country, reality strikes back – hard & harsh!
The police has failed us. Pay increase or whatever, it couldn’t even match the above-table bribes taken from motorists, gangsters, triads in broad daylight.
We may as well not have police and setup private security forces? Reminds me of Robocop.
There are always study trips to exotic Middle East, US, UK, etc. Why not just have exchanges and study trips to Singapore / Hong Kong? Much we can learn from their ICAC. Ours setup is all really lame duck and would go about to make a case out of Nat Tan to scare the daylight out of us citizens who are in for a BETTER MALAYSIA.
2020 is still far away. 2057, is worst. Just concentrate on this one year, what can we do best about it?
As for 31st August celebration and all, definitely my family and I are going to avoid. It is just not safe after it grows dark in Malaysia. Not even on the road, staying away from mat-rempits.
What more wake up early morning to have a morning jog near my housing area. Must be mad doing this in these days. Thats how Fitness First, California Fitness and all other gyms get their business.
Our living costs escalates. What more with all the built-in commissions given to various parties for a RM3 billion or more project which actually costs much much much more lesser?
And paying tolls for at least 2 generations to satisfy the needs of 7 generations of those who do the rent-seeking business?
They go to the Harrods. We go to TESCO & Giant. And of course, maybe Walmart in the near future (where it is another rent-seeking in disguise, awarding of shareholding to the locals to setup business here). Why? Coz all the moms & pops have been forced to go down under. No way to squeeze any shareholding from them.
Be creative. Go the way of budget air-travel, budget-insurance, budget-hotel, budget telecommunications. Money is from left pocket into right pocket. And rakyat deprived of what should be just. The value of the Ringgit is diminishing by the quality of products we be getting.
We only know to compare with US, UK, Africa. Why not compare with Singapore?
~disillusioned 50-years-old of nationhood~
“It is obvious that maintaining law and order is not merely the responsibility of the police or the government. People too have a part to play. There will never be sufficient resources and even if police personnel should be doubled or trebled, it would still not be sufficient.” V.K. Chin.
What was said above is true, people themselves play a very significant part in crime prevention in the country; but if we have a persistently high crime rate, and the nature of the crimes are serious and violent, people tend to shant from contributing towards the combating the crimes.
There may be more to the high violent crime rate in the country than meet the eyes; something could be really wrong with the socio-economic condition in the country. Why more criminals are resorting to serious and violent crimes which contributed to the current scenario?
The government as a whole, and the police in particular, have to really work hard to get to the root of the problem and to come out with a workable strategy.
Otherwise there is no to this vicious cycle.
Jonny July 15th, 2007 at 14: 54.45 asks:
//There are always study trips to exotic Middle East, US, UK, etc. Why not just have exchanges and study trips to Singapore / Hong Kong? Much we can learn from their ICAC.//
What? And make the Malaysian police jatuh air muka by comparing it with incorruptible and efficient police forces?
I think the police manpower in the country is not sufficient. I’m not sure what’s the ratio of our police to the country’s population at large but it could be lower than many countries. So even with a payrise by 1000% also it may not solve any crime problem which is escalating against the police manpower.
The police force need to be enlarged that’s how I see it. If compared to some countries for example, you can notice on every block or street the police are there in existence but not in this country. Due to the shortage of manpower probably, the police force in this country itself is probably under threat and insufficient to face war against the criminals.
As for VMY 2007 a notice should then be made to all tourists … “Visit Malaysia at your own risk anytime of the day & don’t go out at night” especially in high crime areas like JB… :-)
KL Dude:
As for VMY 2007 a notice should then be made to all tourists … “Visit Malaysia at your own risk anytime of the day & don’t go out at night†especially in high crime areas like JB… :-)
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I can’t help but wonder, there are a lot of voices like yours, which include mine and many others. That we do not really care about VMY2007 anymore. That it spins money into the country.
First: We don’t really see the effect/results benefitting common man.
Second: Our core and basic concern now is safety of our lives, livelihood.
Correct the above first. Not even lives of tourists and foreigners who make Malaysia their second home is secure here. Unless they stay behind gated communities. And have a security motorcade. Which none of us have except of our ELECTED YANG BERHORMATs.
Period.
Not sufficient my foot..all of them are at the coffee shop.. LAZY
hkgan,
Yes i do agree with you to a certain extent but to say ALL of them lepak in coffee shop and not doing anything is a bit too exageratted my friend.
What I meant not sufficient is the ratio of Police : Malaysia population. Try comparing this with other countries and let me know if I’m wrong ok instead of just exageratting and bashing out something baseless.
Be cool la my friend…. if you want to encourage a change in the way things are being done in this country, we have to set example to all around including those visiting this website and not ruin the great effort done by the host here with harsh and baseless allegations.