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Visions of Safer Malaysia : The Final Touch


August 27, 2012 by ricwee

Dear Readers,


A few weeks ago, SAFER MALAYSIA posted a draft memorandum, which we wish to submit to the relevant authorities. After many weeks of further research by SAFER MALAYSIA team, and receiving many feedback via phone calls, e-mails, facebook and twitter; below is the Final Version of the Memorandum.


We call this, VISIONS OF SAFER MALAYSIA.


Thank you.


TEAM SAFER MALAYSIA : HW Yip, Richard Wee, Sarah Kambali, Hoong Wei En, Tan Sue Vern, Henry Ng, Caroline Leong, Salvindar Kaur

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Visions of Safer Malaysia

Safer Malaysia envisions a country safe enough for a child to play outside a house, for a family to walk about in a park and for anyone of us to go home to a safely locked house. Safer Malaysia views building big gates around the community, carrying pepper sprays and constantly looking over one’s shoulder is not what living in a country is about.

If one is to bake a cake and the cake is called a country, the ingredients in a recipe of a country, of any country, must include safety and security. The breakdown of that recipe would only lead to a pathetic cake, which will probably crumble.

Safer Malaysia envisions three stages for the struggle to ensure that the nation is safer again. Safer Malaysia is not naïve; a country can never have zero crime rates. But the aim is to reduce it as much as possible and more importantly, ensure that the people feel safe.

The three stages we suggested are based on timeline. What can we do in the short-term, mid-term and long-term?

Short-term
1. Our proposed short-term solution includes increasing security presence all over the country. The police would have statistics on “hot” crime spots, and that is where police presence must be increased.
1.1. Throughout the years, studies like Hot Spot Policing Can Reduce Crime Rate (see tab A page 2) show that measures taken in the hot crime spots have successfully reduced crime rate without causing an increase in crime rate in the neighboring areas.
1.2. There are many reasons why crimes happen mostly in hot spots. The article Why Crimes Occur in Hot Spots (see tab A page 3) helpfully provides some insight which includes the opportunity theory where perpetrators see chances to illegally exploit others.
1.3. There are a number of reasons why crime rate increases despite the dedication of the police force to protect the community. In KL Police to Monitor 15 Hot Spots over Raya (see tab A page 1), the relevant authority had agreed to monitor some crime hot spots during the grand festival where most would leave their house empty to visit friends and relatives in other states. Notwithstanding that initiative had been taken, what the Rakyat rightly expect is the actual action because action speaks louder than words. Only action can heighten the sense of security of the Rakyat.
1.4. Last year, the Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) published a research report Entitled Staffing the Police – Move Active Policemen Please, Not More Policemen (see tab A page 4) urging the government to increase the efficiency of the Police Department, not headcount. The report shows that too many policemen are in non-core police work and they should be redeployed to core police work, for instance, active patrol and investigation.
1.5. In short, should the Police Department be able to deploy more existing manpower from non-core police work to the hot spots and focus on eradicating illegal activities, crime rate would eventually drop and confidence in the police would increase.


2. The authorities should immediately start campaigns in the similar vein of “TAK NAK” for cigarettes, telling people “JANGAN” to deter people from carrying out crimes.
2.1. Campaignsplay a crucial role in raising awareness and sensitivity of the people. It has been a common practice around the world for campaigns to be used to curb and prevent crimes. A number of papers have been written on the effect and benefits of campaigns against crime as attached below.
2.2. Mike Langenbacher and John Klofas mentioned the ‘deterrence theory’ in their working paper – Media Campaigns & Crime Prevention: A Review of the Literature.(see tab B page 22) According to them:-

‘The theory holds that human beings are rational actors that seriously consider the net gains and losses of any action before engaging in said action, and thus by altering the perception of gains and losses it is possible to dissuade individuals from engaging in unwanted actions or behaviors.’
2.2. Campaigning should be associated with this theory. Moreover many stories can be found whereby campaigning resulted in a decrease of the crime rate in the area such as the article (Ongoing Police Campaign Busts 15 Criminal Rings in Tibet’s Capital) (see tab B page 33)obtained from the CRI English.com website.


3. Community security or locally known as Rukun Tetanga, carries the essence wherein a group of people sets up an organisation for crime prevention purposes and to promote the corporation between citizens and police. Starting from local community, the concept similar to Rukun Tetangga must immediately be activated. Incentives must be given to encourage people to get involved in community security.
3.1. In the usual hot spots, local communities are fervently promoting the neighborhood watch to safeguard the safety of everyone living in the neighborhood. For instance, a local community has set up a website, Laman Web Rasmi USJ23,(see tab C page 7)to enable the members to alert the neighborhood of any suspicion and to discuss the safety measures to be taken from time to time. More recently, the local community has setup a patrol group to keep an eye on empty houses during Hari Raya. With multiracial members participating, the unity of people once again proves a reduction in crime in the area for the welfare of the whole community. (Group Conducts Neighborhood Watch to Safeguard Empty Houses during Raya.(see tab B page 1)
3.2. Shoppers coming from big shopping complexes have long been targeted and, not until recently, shopping complexes been branded as ‘hot crime spots’. In order to secure the safety of shoppers, the security team of One Utama Shopping Mall had successfully prevented a robbery in the car park. The story has been discussed and the success has been spread all over Facebook.( https://www.facebook.com/1Utama)
3.3. Last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon (New Act to Broaden Neighbourhood Watch Scheme) (see tab B page 4) released the news to the public that an Act has been drafted to improve the Rukun Tetanga Scheme, which attracted plenty of attention. As much as it was welcomed by the public, there has been no further discussion as to the progress and the rakyat are still waiting.
3.4. At the state level, the local authorities should be immediately empowered with community patrols that will assist in keeping an eye on security. Whereas at the national level, over and above the “JANGAN” campaign, the national government must now inculcate in the peoples’ hearts to look out for each other, to encourage a neighbor to help the other neighbor.


4. Safer Malaysia also strongly encourages the PDRM and Attorney General to share success cases to the public. There have been reports of the police having successfully arrested criminal suspects and these suspects are to be charged and convicted.
4.1. For instance, amongst all other materials that are attached below (see tab D), includes a success case that has managed to capture the heart and confidence of the Rakyat towards the police force.
4.2. Early this month, the PDRM busted a drug nest at Bukit Ferringi in Penang and apprehended 9 drug dealers red-handed. Praised and complimented by the public, the police proudly released the good news to the media and celebrated by many.
(https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...2433873&type=1)
4.3. These stories ought to be published and shared amongst the people to give the people confidence that the system is effective. Safer Malaysia is prepared to assist the PDRM and Attorney General in disseminating and sharing the use of effective and successful arrest and conviction.


5. Safer Malaysia proposed that the PDRM should provide a list of the steps, which will be taken by the police when investigating a crime. Whilst we acknowledge that the police cannot give a thorough list of such investigatory steps (to avoid exposure of police mechanism to the criminals), it would be helpful for the public to understand a simple and general idea of what the police do when investigating a crime.
5.1. The articles below have been published by US authors to discuss the methods employed in arresting the perpetrators of drug conspiracy (How Police Investigate Drug Conspiracies) (see tab E page 2) and serial killers (How to Catch a Serial Killer and How to Catch a Serial Killer).(see tab E page 4) These studies help the public to understand how both police and the perpetrators work and provide further appreciation of the importance of crime prevention.
5.2. Not only have the articles enlightened the readers on the M.O.( method of operation) of a criminal, it has further discussed the consequences of being a criminal and moral of the stories were shared. Furthermore, the knowledge conveyed can trigger the sense of awareness of a person, allowing him or her to deploy suitable measures of protection.
5.3. At the moment, the citizens are kept in the dark over what actually happens after a report is launched. If a victim does not understand and is not aware of the police’s work behind the scene, it may discourage the person from lodging a police report especially in a climate where the person may feel that the system is not effective.
5.4. By understanding and acknowledging the steps that the police take when investigating a crime, it may help to reduce the pessimism some citizens have over police investigations.


6. We intend on implementing an interactive “Safer Malaysia” website as proposed by a passionate fellow Malaysian, Ms Joanne Khoo. (see tab F page 1)The proposed website will be divided into seven main areas, namely:

• Public Crime Map
• Report Sending
• Alert Messaging
• Anonymous Tipping
• Breaking News
• Acknowledgment
• Education

(i) Public Crime Map
A public crime map using a Google map application programming interface (API) will be implemented. The map will include filters such as date, type of crime and neighborhoods such as those found in the United States of America. The purpose of the public crime map is three-fold. Firstly, systematic data collection can be facilitated, allowing citizens to gather information about crimes in the community. Secondly, data analysis will enable statistics to be generated and “hot spot” areas to be identified. This will allow the police to be more vigilant in those areas. Thirdly, transparency of data will be allowed as the public can access the data and assess the crime rate for themselves.
(ii) Report Sending
Reports, whether officially from the police or not, can be forwarded to the website using an easy-to-use online form on the website. The form would contain brief details of the incident such as: 1. Time of crime, 2. Location, 3. Description of Suspect, 4. Type of Crime etc, 5. Description of suspect’s vehicle etc.
(iii) Alert Messaging
“Safer Malaysia” members who sign up to receive alert messages of crime happening will receive an alert once a report is sent in by the victim. The purpose of the alert is so that citizens can be more alert of the suspect in the vicinity, and so that the citizens will be on a lookout for the suspect, assisting the police in their efforts to catch the suspect.
(iv) Anonymous Tipping
Citizens who know or suspect acquaintances or people around them may have or intend to commit a crime can report the information online anonymously to avoid being recognized. An online form will be set up whereby the citizen will be required to provide information such as identity of suspect, vehicle, estimated age and suspect’s address only. A similar website called the “Crime Stoppers” has been found to be successful in Australia. A success story is that of an abandoned child, affectionately named ‘Little Pumpkin’. The Victoria Police was successful in arresting the child’s father, who had murdered her mother, after many calls in relation to the case.
(v) Breaking News Section
This section will be updated daily with the latest crime reports submitted by citizens for the perusal of the public.
(vi) Acknowledgement Section
Encouragement can be an incentive to both the police and private sectors to increase their crime fighting and crime prevention efforts.
(vii) Education
This section will aim to educate the community in various manners such as ways to be more vigilant, crime prevention methods for homes, workplaces and communities, etc.
6.1. The main focus of the Safer Malaysia website is to alert and notify the public of crimes in their neighborhood, allow anonymous tipping to inform of suspicious activities, encourage corporation with the Police Department and build a safer Malaysia.
6.2. Whilst we will not deny that the website may be sabotaged by false tipping, the Safer Malaysia website team will strive and do our best to monitor it to provide accurate and honest information, as far as it is possible.


Mid-term
7. For a foreseeable mid-term future, Safer Malaysia strongly propagates effective enforcement of the law, which is paramount to the safety of all the Rakyat. This will include effective arrest, charge, and prosecution of the wrongdoer and if the enforcement works, it must be heavily promoted in the mass media to deter future crimes.
7.1. The government should impose and enforce stiffer sentences to deter everyone from committing a crime. In Do Stiffer Sentences Act as a Crime Deterrent? It Does for Some Criminals, Study Finds, (see tab G page 10)the study shows that stiffer sentences do deter inmates. The logic is simple – nobody wants to spend all their life in the prison!
7.2. In the view of Safer Malaysia, the government must disincentive the concept of crime. It must be seen to be wrong, bad, and evil. Economic welfare seems to be one of the main reasons for the public to commit crime. In 2009, Police Federation of England and Wales conducted a research, Crime and the Economy, (see tab G page 1)which shows that crime and economy have very close correlation to each other. The research provides that:
‘Consumption growth indicates increased expectations of lifetime income. The increased expectation of lawful income will reduce the temptation of illegitimate activity. This is referred to as the ‘motivation effect’.
‘Thus, in years when people increase their spending by very small amounts or reduce it altogether, notably when the economy is in recession, property crime tends to grow relatively quickly.’
7.3. In simple language, burglary and theft increases when the Rakyat are poor and stealing becomes a form of ‘quick money’ to them. To put a halt to most property crime, the economic welfare of all the Rakyat should be boosted in overall, and not just a group of people.
7.4. In addition to that, Crime and the Economy (see tab G page 1) also proves that ‘police strength is negatively related to theft of and from vehicles and other forms of property crime.’ Hence, effective enforcement of the law is crucial. Subject to the laws of defamation and related principles, a convicted wrong doer must be exposed in the media, of which the wrongdoer will be ridiculed and frowned upon.


8. Moreover, social pressure or peer pressure must be imposed on people to not get involved in crime at all. People always hear about the negative effects that the influence from members of one’s peer group can have, but Scott Bernard Peterson made an interesting remark in the SparkAction article The Power of Positive Peer Pressure: -
“I believe that if negative peer pressure is a primary factor in leading some young people to commit a crime or an offense, then positive peer pressure can be harnessed in a safe setting and redirected to encourage young people to adhere to the rule of law and become more productive citizens.” (see tab H page 5)
8.1. This is a legitimate statement since Tina Rosenberg, whose book is reviewed in Steve Weinberg’s article, mentions Otpor and loveLife, action groups which grew out of positive peer pressure in Russia and South Africa respectively. As Weinberg states in Say Yes to Peer Pressure, (see tab H page 1)a “social cure” can be a “rather effective way of overturning wrongful convictions”.
8.2. Notably, social pressure can help to deter the public, especially the youngsters, from committing wrongs that are condemned by our modernized country and kind, loving culture.


Long-term
9. In the long-term, Safer Malaysia wishes to improve our expertise in the study of the criminal mind, i.e. improving the criminology department. This will include psychologists and criminologists interviewing and understanding what drove the wrongdoer to do what he or she did. This would assist the security administrators (the police, home ministry and/or the Attorney General) to chart the plans for future deterrence of crime.
9.1. The following articles such as Why do Criminals Break the Law? (see tab I page 1) gives examples of conclusions a criminologist can come to after researching and analyzing crime in the US.
9.2. The book, The Criminology of Serial Killings: Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Aileen Wournos and Others, written by Beatriz Scaglia explores the lives of serial killers and their motivations for their actions. For instance, Ted Bundy was an American serial killer who, amongst other most disgusted crimes, kidnapped and raped many women in his lifetime. Profilers and criminologists, after his arrest and death, realized that it was his narcissism, unquenchable desire to kill and rape and psychopathic behavior that caused him to commit crime and eventually, his death.
9.3. It is not disputed that terrible criminals often display patterns and reasons that prompt them to crime. The usual reasons would be horror and pain inflicted on them during childhood. Rapists could, more than often, be the victims themselves during childhood when they were still vulnerable. If the criminologists and police are able to understand the minds and patterns of their crimes and hence their intended targets, it is not only that a preventive measure can be undertaken, it will at the same time hasten the process to subject him or her to the law.


10. With respect to this government, corruption in the system exists and is probably becoming more acute day by day. Corruption paralyses the system and diminishes the effectiveness of the system.
10.1. Dr Lim Teck Ghee has commented in Why Police are Impotent in Dealing with Growing Crime (see tab J page 1) that one of the major problems can be attributed to the tolerance of corruption in police and civil service. Despite the fact that the Rakyat appreciate the downside of corruption, they ‘willingly contribute’ to it whenever they ‘see fit’. Meanwhile, Dr Lim also said that ‘instead of focusing attention of fighting crime, our police are all too often ordered to perform political work aimed at suppressing the opposition and other opponents of the ruling government.’
10.2. A Story of Corruption and Police Abuse, Malaysian Police Asking for Bribe, Indirectly!!! (see tab J page 12) and [Video] Malaysia Traffic Police Takes Bribe From Singaporean 2011 are among the news spread over the internet with regards to the shameful behavior of the Malaysian police. Christopher Fernandez, in Crime is Rising, Police are Corrupt & Inefficient: NOW, WHO’S TO BLAME?, (see tab J page 3) agrees that corruption is the major problem of the police force nowadays and connotes that it has become a perception unshakable by any of the police officers. Many commentators opine, some with harsh language, that the government should take the blame.
10.3. Many would agree that corruption dampens the effectiveness of the police force which has become an opportunity for criminals to crime. Therefore, whether this government likes it or not, it must find the will and desire to severely minimize corruption. Safer Malaysia believes that there is enough and sufficient literature within the records of this government, which proposes solutions to effectively decrease and minimize corruption. Safer Malaysia urges the government to adopt those literatures, pick up the will and courage, and start work to effectively reduce corruption.


11. The education system must also improve subjects and topics taught to increase the effectiveness of planting appropriate thoughts into the minds of young Malaysians. Safer Malaysia strongly proposes that the appropriate thinking should be “Don’t rob”, “Don’t rape” or “Don’t attack” as opposed to “Don’t GET robbed”, “Don’t GET raped” or “Don’t GET attacked”. The highlight shall and must always be emphasized to stop the perpetrator and to stop someone turning into a perpetrator.
11.1. It should be of no surprise that educating our society can reduce the crime rate. The paper entitled The Crime Reducing Effect of Education (see tab K page 1)provides evidence and statistical proof of the effect of education on the crime rate. As Jeanne Cure says in her article,
‘Education has been proven to be a great catalyst for change… As a cost-effective and continually beneficial approach, education is one the most successful means we have of preventing and reducing crime.’
11.2. Education Reform Will Reduce Crime (see tab K page 39)by Barrington H. Brennen and Education Policy and Crime (see tab K page 41) by Lance Lochner support the proposition that education reform and policy are the best solutions to control the crime rate in one country. Proper education triggers young conscience and builds a firm foundation with regards to the Dos and Don’ts in their life. As the future pillars for the country, if the young generation were to be corrupt by unhealthy life and twisted stories, the future of the country would be destroyed.
11.3. Young Malaysians ought to be persuaded and engaged on the effects of crime at a young age. They ought to be exposed to the effect of crime upon its victims. The horrific psychological effects of a victim ought to be shown. The message ought to be if one does not want to be a victim, then one should not do things to create a victim.



Conclusion
These proposals and ideas are the fruits of discussion amongst few Malaysians who are amateurs in the business of policing and security administration. However, our heart and focus is the concern we have for our family, our friends and our nation. We are offering these ideas to try and help our government to solve this problem of crime. We do not want to merely complain and we offer our assistance to the government in this matter.
Towards a Safer Malaysia.

[pywong]

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Comments and Suggestions received by SAFER MALAYSIA, Extracted From the Internet

1) Mothers must Speak Out against Crime – Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today news, 31 July 2012

Fong Peng Lim · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
It is a fact that majority of Malaysians do not feel safe anymore. Criminals have been emboldened while the Home Minister is enjoying his lamb chops and PEMANDU moving the goal post to reflect a lower crime rate. Regardless of the Crime Index, something serious needs to be done. For those who want a Safer Malaysia, please go to Safer Malaysia on FB and click on “like”. Crime is not a political issue as criminals will not go on holiday just because of political affiliation. It is most sad that KDN thinks otherwise. Apparently, it is more concerned with public perception rather than taking concrete steps to reduce crime. The influx of foreign nationals lately may not be the major factor to increased crime rates but certainly is one of the contributing factors. It is already tough having to deal with our own. Thus, it is prudent to screen these foreign nationals before giving out citizenship or temporary MyKads. I believe most OCPD are helpful and are sincere in fighting crime but it would help with more political will.
Reply · 4 · Like · Follow Post · July 31 at 8:32am

2) Visions of Safer Malaysia.. a proposal and a draft. – RicWee, Safer Malaysia Blog, 30 July 2012

Chi Chang T · University of Warwick
How about taking a leaf from the police’s glorious history of defeating the communist insurgency during the Emergency?
During that time, Malaysia was divided into black, grey or white zones depending on the level of communist activity. Police resources and tactics were then varied accordingly.
Today, how about classifying all the police districts in a similar manner and making these public. That way, those of us in black and grey zones know fully well the threat we face and can cooperate with the police on how to turn our areas into white zones. And those in white zones can work with the police to ensure they stay that way.
I would love to know what zone my area (Damansara Utama/Petaling Jaya Utara) would be classified under and I am sure many fellow residents would be keen to know, as well as participate in crime prevention.
Teh Chi-Chang
REFSA (Research for Social Advancement).
www.refsa.org
Reply · 2 · Like · Follow Post · July 31 at 9:59am

Bealert Staysafe · Subscribe · 52 years old
Safer Malaysia, congratulations on your effort.Crime management and crime prevention needs collaborative efforts. This has to go to the highest levels, ie. besides the Home Ministry, the MInister of Tourism should also take part as the crime ‘brand’ of Malaysia will affect our tourist arrivals in the years to come. Tourists who come to Malaysia are now subject to violent and agressive cab drivers, robbery and there has even been rape cases. My comment on your memorandum is as follows. We need to start at policy level. What is the % of crime we want to reduce? and how to prevent more from happening. We need better resourcing, and we also need better budgets for IT implementation so that proper business applications are brought into help the PDRM. Change management needs to happen in the police force, and it needs to happen at the highest level. Resourcing of the police force also needs to happen. You cannot focus too much on Klang valley and forget about the smaller towns? Then, you need to have a conversation with the Immigration Department-what are they doing about illegal immigrants? what are they doing about errant employers who flout the law? If we keep letting the foreigners in, then we will never be able to solve the crime issues. Malaysia has porous borders – Straits of Malacca, Sabah and Sarawak. At the homes, at our schools -we need to educate our children on the school bench on crime and how to avoid taking part in crime. In terms of the law, we need to impose stronger sentences. On criminology, my view is that we need to appoint educated Malaysians on to the force. Those with law degree, political science degree-we need to PUMP in some top brains into PDRM so that a more strategic view is taken. And we also need good implementors on the ground. Lastly, we Malaysians must take precautions. We must all support the NGO efforts, and not leave crime management, crime blogs to those who are keen. A few of us will lead, but many must support. For now, our voice is only a whisper. Malaysians must wake up and say its our responsibility. I love my country, and I must be resolved to make Malaysia safer and better.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 31 at 5:29pm

Fong Peng Lim · Top Commenter · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Views on Safer Malaysia – Part 1.
Frankly my mind is a blank, everything came crashing into the limited space between my ears and I’m not sure if I’m able to pen my thought coherently.
Increased Patrol
There really isn’t any substitute for police patrols and as you have written, police presence must be felt. Apparently, we hardly see police patrols these days especially in the evening till early morning before sunrise. I believe the criminals have the same thoughts too and this has emboldened them, especially those parang wielding gung-hos.
I remember back in the 80s during my college days, I had a friend who was a part-time policeman. Nope, he was not Rela. He was in full uniform, carried firearm and patrolled the nights. It was a part-time job and he was paid for it. He would be on duty almost every Friday & Saturday night
because there were no classes the next day. Guess what, there was no bicycle or motor-cycle. He actually walked the beat. Of course, it is no longer possible or relevant today. The patrols need to be on motorcycles at least. Increase patrols will reduce response time and improves the chances of apprehending criminals on the get-a-way.
Shopping Complexes
I’m wondering if anyone is actually monitoring the security cameras stationed in the shopping complexes and the cameras are just there for recording. Security cameras should be made compulsory and security guards should patrol the car-parks, again, patrols are good deterrent and reduce response time in the event of a crime.
If possible, dogs could be used. The car-parks should be adequately lit. Maybe guards can be trained & empowered to carry taser guns. This may be a deterrent to would be criminals. The building security should also be checked periodically by the police together with the town council. This is to prevent corruption.
Public & Secondary School Education.
I agree with your views that crime prevention should be made part of our education system. However, I would like to add that an education on our lawful rights is also a mental or psychological advantage. Corruption has been so deeply entrenched in our system and the police force has grown to be lackadaisical, careless & indiscipline. By empowering the Public with Education about the law, it serves as an intimidation to the policemen. This will compel the police force to behave in a proper manner and to ensure that they carry out their duties diligently, thus empowering our prosecutors to make effective use of our law to charge the guilty. It is like, don’t insult us Public, we know the procedures and please carry out your duties as we will be monitoring. Of course, the Police should also be given due recognition for a job well done and be made public. This should serve as a record for promotion in the force.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 30 at 11:51pm

Fong Peng Lim · Top Commenter · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Views on Safer Malaysia – Part 2.
Economic & Social Affects.
With our disposable income declining, it is only natural that crime increases. I don’t care what the index says, in my opinion; crime rate is on the increase. The influx of foreigners is also not helping the situation. Thus, it is also an economic problem. The Home Ministry should be more responsible in giving out citizenship. This is one area where we cannot raise our objection. I personally believe that this has contributed to the increased crime rate. However, we can subtly create public awareness and with sufficient support, we may raise it in the future.
To help reduce criminals among our own, there is a need to provide vocational training to school dropouts and the unemployed for the academically weak. Recently, our PM gave RM100 million to a volunteer group.
The money would have been better spent in developing the vocational skills of our young. There must be a program to help these people; to provide a sense of belonging to society and to enable them to contribute by way of honest earning.
Rukun Tetangga
This community service was quite affective in the 70s but may not be relevant today due to the kind of weapons that criminals use today. Back in those days, the most intimidating weapon was a knife and not even a Rambo type too. Today, we will be dealing with several parang wielding men. Several years ago, there were 9 people with Parangs robbing people at a coffe-shop in SS2, PJ at about 4.00a.m. in the morning. Thus, I think it may be a better idea to train part-time policemen if indeed there is shortage of man-power.
Political Will
All will come to naught without political will. Food for thought, we bring our proposal to the Opposition as well and let them make it into a political agenda. I think PR would be interested about the Vocational Training to reduce crime, if BN does not see the merit in an honest proposal. I believe Public is tired of the authorities taking a lackadaisical stand.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 30 at 11:52pm

Jeffrey Chang
improved and new general lighting plays a role to keep the criminals off. Too bright for their comfort. JB, besides the high visibility Police presence, the local councils have improved street lighting. Now most places are brightly lit at night.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 31 at 8:43pm

Florence Khoo
I agree with with Fong Peng Lim. With the influx of foreigners, whether legal or illegal, there is also an increase of the poor in our communities. Poverty breeds desperation… and many turn to crime.
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 31 at 1:00pm

Prem Aircond Jesiz · Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
We need alarm every where we move and alert go to near police station
Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · July 30 at 7:51pm

3) Safer Malaysia Facebook Page

In reply to a Safer Malaysia post on 1 July 2012
Kevin Lim
It is unfortunate that the point made by the exco member could have otherwise been contributory to the issue at hand, if presented as a useful precautionary guide, i.e. as a general measure of precaution. Instead the statement made, which attributed the cause of the crime to the victim, was stereotypical, inaccurate and darkly absurd. In other words, the visible adorning or carrying of highly valued items may encourage perpetrators of such crimes, it is not a necessary nor sufficient condition or requirement for the occurence of such a crime. That explains why the problem persists, if not worsening – ostensible unintelligible people in places that matter most. There’s a saying that goes “if you don’t open your mouth, nobody would know you’re stupid”.
2 July at 00:04 · Like · 3

Wendy Rodriguesposted toSafer Malaysia
3 July
Saw a mugging last night. Near the Centerpoint B.U traffic lights. 4 Malay guys stopped their Kancil to mug a Chinese guy walking towards Centerpoint. Many cars on the road but the mugging was at the side of the road which was dark and in the shadows. Ironically there were 2 police cars at the 1-U traffic lights – stopping a car for some stupid traffic offense (probably a more lucrative task for them). What are our cops doing to prevent all these crimes. These 4 idiots could be the same gang that mugged the father n son at the train station last week. IGP – don’t you dare say the crime rate has reduced – wake up la n see the real Malaysia!

Kevin Limposted toSafer Malaysia
9 July
It seems that, in a world where we are increasingly inundated by unending conflicts of claims and demands of “rights” of individuals, or groups of “individuals”, from so many perspectives and directions, that it sometimes appear that the truest and perhaps only real rights of us human beings, regardless of race, religion, gender, nationality and other affiliations, are being crowded out. These most fundamental rights are few, but more sacred than the concept of sacredness we habitually rant and scream on, are that which each individual is born with, and should remain her or his right, until the day he or she leaves this world. And one of these sacred rights is the right to live safe, or to not have his/her safety deprived or threatened by another, in a manner that the individual does not have the alternative option of action to avoid such a threat, or has not choice to defend himself/herself against it. We should be grateful for the avenue to be aware of

Kevin Limposted toSafer Malaysia
9 July
We should be grateful for the avenue provided by a page such as this to be aware that a true and fundamental right of ours is being threatened, but let’s not stop here, else this shall ultimately count for nought. Would be good if there is some way for the data on such incidences, actual or near encounters, to be collected, as tangible evidence, on this (or any other website), as tangible evidence and true reflection of the actual situation. It is unfortunate that such an independent action has to be resorted to, but this is a sacred right that cannot be compromised, by leaving it to those who may prefer to represent it as otherwise.

Kevin Limposted toSafer Malaysia
13 July
Notwithstanding the given, i.e that we all appreciate this initiative by SaferMalaysia, and that a campaign and plan is in progress, I’m not sure if what we need is not some quicker action, in view of the increasingly frequent incidents, many of which are gravely serious. It seems that each day, one or more precious lives are being threatened, harmed, or totally taken away, and each one is too man
y. While longer term and comprehensive plans, based on research data and elaborate information, is still very necessary and useful going forward, but immediate action is probably urgent now, including current discussion with the police, to be followed up with regular meet ups. Regardless of what our opinions are on the performance of the police, or on official claims on crime statistics, the immediate and acute priority is to immediately try to protect more innocent lives each day with any actions that can be taken quickly, while a larger plan can be implemented. Where many of us can demonstrate quick turnaround and effectiveness at our workplace, albeit primarily motivated by financial gains, it is perhaps time that we demonstrate the same when it comes to saving real lives, including that of our family, friends, neighbour, etc.


Willie Tingposted toSafer Malaysia
15 July
Crime in Malaysia is getting worst day by day and that is not a perception but a reality. We have to accept the fact that
crime is something everything should be seriously looking into rather than blaming it on the government. We should start allowing citizen arrest immediately to curb this menace.


In Reply to a Self-Defence Post Shared by Safer Malaysia
Athena Ciang Ling Ang How sad that we now really need self-defence skills to protect ourselves as those in power seem to have done and will do nothing.
18 July at 03:54 via Mobile · Like

Ann Ooi Immigration laws should be improved too. There should be more stringent rules for the issuance of visas, especially for the type of visas that are “abused” commonly.
30 July at 21:49 via Mobile · Unlike · 1

Fong Peng Lim SS 2 is an example of an area that is prone to burglary, hunting ground for robbers & snatch thieves because the area is not designed for gated security. To make matters worse, there are many escape routes. I would like to warn people who live in area similar in design to SS 2 to be extra careful. Of course, this is not to say gated community is 100% safe. When walking by the road side, always ensure that your handbag is held by the arm on the inner side of the road. For those without auto-gate, it is also dangerous when alighting from the car to open the gate, especially at night. Try to scout the area as you approach your gate, drive off if you see people nearby. Make sure you have your handbag under the seat before you get down from the car. Be wary of suspicious looking character when waiting to pick up someone. drive off and make another round should you notice something not right. Inform the person you’re picking up in advance not to come out until he/she sees you in front. Inform him/her whether you would be coming alone or with someone so that he/she can detect something wrong should you suddenly show up with more people than intended. When waiting in car, always look at rear mirror & side mirrors every now and then, dont just sit there and listen to car stereo. My mum lives in SS 2 and there has been so many cases of robbery. Handbags snatched from car seat when the driver gets down to open the gate. Driver being confronted with parang while waiting to pick up someone. Robbed when opening gate. It would be a good idea to take a peek at lanes should your house be located near to one before you get down., these robberies do not always happen at night. It happens in broad daylight and the robbers know the time when it can be very quiet between 2.30 & 3.45pm. For those with auto-gate, it would be better to install spot light that is activated when the auto-gate opens, and I mean blinding spot-lights that can shine up to the road in front of your gate and illuminates part of your neighbours on both sides, better still flood-lights. These measures mentioned may not be fool-proof but had proven to be helpful.
2 August at 03:55 · Like

Fong Peng Lim Oh one other thing, when chatting on your mobile while waiting in car, dont get carried away, keep a look-out. The street where my mum lives, there had been 2 cases of robbery over the past year, one was driver robbed while waiting to pick someone up and the other was closing the gate and about to get into car. Both occasion happened in the afternoon. Avoid taking lorongs in residential area in SS 2 if possible, walk a bit further. Sorry, dont mean to frighten anyone but I grew up in SS 2 and had lived there for 20 years and my mum has been living there for 39 years. Always good to carry umbrella when walking.
2 August at 04:03 · Like

In Reply to Safer Malaysia’s Post dated 13 Aug 2012
Kevin Lim In my opinion, which is worth only as much as anyone else’s and expressed from a possibly naive point of view, a more efficient and credible approach to counter such allegations by the authorities is to focus on their point of contention in a credible manner. Their claim, as I see it, is that the public’s assertions of high rate of crime incidences is due to mere heresay, which in turn is alleged to be unreliable, biased and overstated. My sense is that an effort should be established to collect data on crime incidences which apparently “did not happen”. The process and data need not be complicated but rather focused on collecting and managing key information which can then be presented as “evidence” to disprove the police’s allegations. I’m afraid that the clicking of “Likes” while appealing from a social networking point of view does not do much to make our case against the allegations of the authorities – if anything, it may even support their argument that the public’s claims of perpetuating crime incidences have merely resulted from such populistic social networking trends, and do not represent the true state of affairs.
14 August at 10:33 · Like · 1

In Reply to the Leniency in the Bowler Rape Case
Fong Peng Lim This is really a step back in Justice and probably the first in the world. Victim’s future compromised for the bright future of promising bowler, my God, injustice at its worse.
13 August at 15:31 · Like

Pk Tan Ridiculous…
13 August at 19:13 · Like

Sin Hui Pei sorry to say this, but I suspect if this guy is of a different skin colour, the verdict may be much different…
13 August at 23:12 · Like

Kevin Lim We are entitled to express our opinions, as the expression is personal to the individual, and does not equate to a representation of what is factual. But then again, it’s probably more productive to be constructive. And in that regard, I believe that the bigger and more important point here is probably not about race, nor about gender, although these are probably more popular themes to rile up emotions with. The bigger point I think is about the integrity of the law, above all other subjectively argued rights. If the law can be made exception of at random junctures, based on justification on case by case basis, then it is clearly free for abuse. If follows that such are among the root causes of propagation of crime in many forms due to non enforcement of the law; bribery as a practiced and accepted means to circumvent the law; and other abuses whether prejudiced on the basis of gender, age, religion, race, or other social profile factors.
14 August at 10:58 · Like

In Reply to Bealert Staysafe’s Post Shared on Safer Malaysia’s Wall
Jeffrey Chang
We should be able to lodge a Police report at any Police station, not necessary in one that is closest to the incident. I thought they are all linked through the internet. The station where the report is to go, will then pick up the report
and take the necessary action. All stations can be coded in such a way, that any report will go to the respective station for further action if necessary. About time they implement this system if this is not done yet for the convenience of the public. People first!
15 August at 15:57 · Like · 1

In Reply to the Aliran.com Article shared by Safer Malaysia on 19 Aug 2012
Fong Peng Lim
One thing I would like to highlight, in this article, it was recommended that police personnel be increased. I believe it has and recently, it was reported that only 14% of the force is being employed to fibght crime. Thus it serves to conf
irm the perception that nothing has been done to address the problems since 2004, thus how can crime rates be falling? The more arguments to tear down the crime index the better it is to corner and confront the police to address the problems instead of being in State of Denial.
Monday at 00:59 · Like

In Reply to Safer Malaysia’s post dated 22 Aug 2012
Chingyen Thoo
i agree. thts wht law enforcers need to focus on.
but as citizens.. we also need a total brain overhaul. its time to be the hunter and not the hunted. the predator and not the prey. we need to take back our power tht was robbed from us. it
can only start by making a mental shift in our head.
once we convince ourselves tht our purpose of existence is to not walk around everyday filled with fear & FB crime horror stories.. but to arm ourselves with mental strength & know-how.. change for the better is within our power.
we got to change the way the game is played. turn the tables around. time to stalk our stalkers. START doin that in our heads for a start.
2 hours ago · Unlike · 1

In Reply to the Article “ATMS in unsafe areas may be relocated” Shared from StarProperty.my
Ong Lee Sum Same mentality…got rape, women advised not to do this, not to do that… Got rob; advised not to take handbags, no jewelleries, best of all dun go out!
2 hours ago via Mobile · Unlike · 1

Ong Lee Sum When I was in some African country where crime was somewhat uncontrollable…anything worth stealing/rob would have grilled fencing, chained&locked, guards armed and men’s best friend; guard dogs…the same goes to our home there…servants, drivers, guards & dogs are much needed…so, IS MALAYSIA GOING TO NEED ALL THESE VERY SOON Since we are ALREADY HALF WAY THERE?
2 hours ago via Mobile · Like


Other Comments and Suggestions Extracted from Online Sources

Fong Peng Lim

• Do not be complacent about the Green Zone, Yellow Zone and Red Zone. Using an example of the office, the Green Zone is when your colleagues are around. The Yellow Zone, around 6.30pm, is when your colleagues are packing up and leaving. Red Zone is you are the only one around, other than the security guard. Advice for when you are in the Red Zone, including situations where you are in the taxi, is to call or PRETEND to call someone. Apologize for “running late”, say you are still in the office and about to leave. Then make sure you can be heard talking to someone. Casually mention the details of your taxi such as the colour and number, location, estimated time of arrival in a casual conversational tone. Call another person and do the same. Now, the driver will know that at least two people know what taxi you are in and can estimate the time of arrival.
• Pepper spray should be water-based since powder-based ones can be a danger to yourselve if there is wind. It is generally safe to buy pepper sprays from the US since there are strict regulations in contrast to China made ones. Make sure the pepper spray is attached to the key ring at the bottom to ensure ease of use.
• Use carabiner clips to secure your handbag to a chair, especially useful in restaurants. Snatch thieves will have a hard time escaping while dragging a chair.
• Never accept mobile phones as gifts, especially smartphones, to prevent being tracked by stalkers using spyware.
• It is extremely easy for a person to obtain your contact number. An example would be, if they have your home address, they can call Pizza Hut, Dominos or McDonald’s for delivery. Then they can ask if their “girlfriend” has changed her mobile number with their record. The operator will then ask him if the mobile number they have is right. The stalker now has your phone number.
• Always lock your doors when driving! Never put your handbag on seat even if you are the passenger in the car, instead leave it on the floor.
• Always leave 4ft in between your car and the one in front. Knock the snatch thief over and then get out of the car and RUN! They may have a parang to threaten you.
• When you are pinned between four cars on the highway, take out the car behind first since cars are designed to withstand collisions from the rear. Your intention would be to damage their car’s radiator. The cars in front and at the side would have travelled forward. Using this disarray, breakaway before they coordinate themselves and head for the nearest toll gate. Drive to the TUNAI lane since there would be an attendant there. Horn and draw attention to yourself. Knock into other cars on the road as they will give chase, being irate.
• Home security alarms usually have stickers on the alarm box with the brand. Burglars can break in more easily if they know what tools and how to disarm the type of alarm. Put another sticker instead. A burglar trying to disarm the alarm will trigger it instead.
• Signs that you might be a target: – Your mail goes missing as they want to ascertain the amount of people in your house, you get calls but no one speaks (create an impression that there are others at home such at grumbling at others in the house). Always have visitors over so that there is activity in your home making it harder for someone to know if you’re alone.
• Use padlock protector boxes that would cover the metal loops of the door grill and padlock loop, slowing down someone trying to break in.
• When you scream for help, make sure you include your location. Screaming fire would help as people love to see a big blaze. Get a hailer and pre-record your help message, especially effective if you freeze of fear. Make sure you change the battery once a year.
• Peepholes on front doors should come in two, one at eye level and the other lower to the ground. Hence, the ability to see if someone is crouching outside. Always have a cover for the peephole as burglars can easily reverse the view with a simple tool.
• Door security chains are easy to undo with a rubber band. Do not install the security chain horizontally, but at a 45 degree angle making it difficult to slide off.
• Do not assume safety anywhere. Have someone on your phone list who you can summon for help and who can come in five minutes. Store the telephone number of the nearest police station on your phone.

Gina Cheng

• Install CCTV (High Definition) at all traffic light junctions and traffic jam prone areas since most snatch thefts happen there.
• Link NRD to the police system to simplify the matching of finger prints with the data obtained from criminals.
• Distress buttons on smart phones should be installed for free and implemented in the whole country.
• Prohibit the sales of acid to the public in large amounts, unless authorised, in response to the acid cases. Record the IC numbers of those who purchase them.
• Impose stricter surveillance on businesses trading scrap metals to curb the theft of drains and manhole covers or provide education to ensure they do not buy scrap metal from drug addicts or criminals.
• Clinics should be compelled to disclose information of grievous injuries, especially unusual ones to the police so that a background check can be made.
• Round up the Mat Rempits and get their details. Monitor their movement like what Penang did, forcing them to push their motorbikes for a few kilometres to the police station.
• Give the police KPI to solve cases within two months to increase efficiency.
• Make the public aware of cases where criminals are caught and provide a list of the procedure according to a timeline. This will prevent anxiety and improve the perception of the public.
• The forensics of the country should be improved. Well educated and trained personnel should be hired.
• Police from other countries should do a visiting study to write reports on our country’s police. This would be a good platform for the exchange of knowledge.
• CCTVs should be installed in the evidence room to ensure evidence is dealt with appropriately.
• Reports and records should have SIRIM certification to be audited by SIRIM on their methodology.
• Curb corruption in the police force by parading those that have been caught as an example.
• Award the police appropriately when they meet their KPO as incentive.

[Evata]

Love it, you have given a full detail explanation.