Finally, someone’s holding crisis meeting on crime – and it’s DAP

by V. Anbalagan
The Malaysian Insider
August 11, 2013

The DAP will hold an emergency central working committee meeting tomorrow to discuss the deteriorating crime situation in the country that is turning into a full-blown crisis.

Secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said the spate of shootings was unprecedented with at least one shooting being reported daily since the end of last month.

“DAP is holding this emergency meeting to respond to public fears for their safety that has affected business and caused tourism associations to publicly voice out on the adverse impact,” he said in a statement today.

On Friday, the Penang chief Minister said the state is willing to pool resources with the police to combat crime following three shootings in a spate of 24 hours.

The state government is actively installing closed circuit television videos to marry manpower with technology, besides encouraging the formation of Voluntary Patrol Teams.

The Penang Municipal Council (PMC) and the Seberang Perai Municipal Council have 60 and 44 CCTVs operating currently. They have been instructed to install additional 70 and 55 CCTVs.

The state government has also offered to employ additional staff at its own expense to monitor the CCTVs to help alleviate the issue of manpower for police.

Since May, there have been 35 shootings nationwide which left 22 people dead.

Last month, a website report by 10awesome.com titled 10 Dangerous Cities In The World, named Kuala Lumpur as the sixth most dangerous city in the world.

“Even though police and the Federal government quickly refuted the article, they were proven painfully wrong with the wave of gun violence especially during festive holidays,” Lim said.

He said the government should not be in denial but admit that 10awesome.com was correct.

Despite harsh death penalty laws on possession of guns and bullets in Malaysia, the supply of guns in the hands of secret societies are so common that Malaysia appears to be like the US where guns can be simply purchased.

Lim said blaming the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance that freed many hardened criminals, did not fully explain how a ready supply of guns has suddenly surged in Malaysia.

“How did the guns enter Malaysia? The police must trace and stop the source that supplies such weapons,” he added.

He said the police and the government appeared completely helpless to stop the continued violent gun shootings and the rise in street crimes that affected ordinary Malaysians.

Lim said a quick remedial measure would be to put more police personnel on the streets and fighting crime.

Out of the total 112,583 police personnel in uniform, only 10,150 or 9% are in the Criminal Investigation Department.

“This is unacceptable as the number of police personnel involved in fighting crime should be at least 50%,” he said.

In other words, there should be at least 56,000 police personnel in uniform patrolling the streets.

Lim said the public expected better value for money for police protection against crime, when the allocation for the police has increased by 65% between 2007and 2012, from RM4.22 billion in 2007 to RM5.82 billion in 2010 and RM6.98 billion in 2012.

Lim, who is also Penang Chief Minister, said the Independent Police Commission of Complaints and Misconduct Commission must be set up to check abuses of powe and corruption by the police.

This, he said, was to ensure the police could be more efficient and professional in carrying out their duties.

Further, he said this would stop abuses of power that allows the police to be used as a tool against political opponents of BN instead of fighting criminals.

He said Transparency International had regularly listed public perception of the police as one of the most corrupt government departments.

“The establishment of the IPCMC will go a long way towards cleaning up the police force and transforming it as an effective fighting force against criminals and gangsters,” he said. – August 11, 2013.