Crime-Pak Lah Failed Us!
photo: Mr Lee Mook Kwai, father of Lee Kean Yip (deceased) (right) sharing his idea of setting up a website to gather information on crime cases to counter the statistics of the police.
It was quite a good discussion. I could feel the anger of the individuals who stood up and asked question during the "Fight Crime and Fear Crime Forum.
The PM always says that the people needs to co-operate with the police to fight crime, indicating that the unsafe environment was partly due to us, the people. However, after hearing the views, concerns and experiences of some who stood up to speak at the forum, I would like to tell our PM this;
Dear Pak Lah, when some of your citizens, especially women, at this moment who are so fearful of even leaving the home and go to the street, don't you think that you as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Security has failed in leading the police force in co-operating with the people to fight crime and not otherwise?
This morning, when I walked into the coffee shop to have breakfast with my mother, a woman walked to me and shared with me of her experiences of getting the police to take action against a group of young men who would sniff glue at the playground in front of her house every night from 8-9 pm. She told me that she has lodged many police reports. She called the police many times to visit the playground whenever this group of young men were "high" after sniffing glue and started shouting.
The action of the police dissappointed her. She said the police on many accasion turned up but only asked the group to disperse. But then, the group would come back later and the following days.
She also said she meant higher ranking officer but was told that they could not do anything because glue sniffing is not an offence. She asked me, it is so? She also said that many residents were trying to move out of that residential areas because they were worried of the safety of their family members and children.
She asked a good question. She said that the police always give the standard statement ie not enough manpower whenever the public complain about unsafe environment. She has this to reply. She said, "I do pay taxes and why can't the government use those money to employ more police officers to improve public safety".
Pak Lah, please ACT immediately to improve the current unsafe environment before more lifes are taken away.
Rather than feeling helpless, this endeavour will mobilise the ordinary people into a force demanding their basic right to public safety.
Police facing manpower shortage for crime prevention, yet the full force available in peaceful public rallies.
Whatever happen to Lee Lam Thye’s Crime Prevention Foundation amid all this hooha?
Comment by cheang — August 19, 2006 @ 4:05 pm
From Singapore press Dateline Johor Bahru
They’ll bite when they see cash
Beware the JB bank sharks
By Maureen Koh
August 19, 2006 Print Ready Email Article
HOW much you’re taking out of your bank is probably not something you’d like to announce.
Click to see larger image
— JONATHAN CHOO
Yet, in Johor Baru, some bank tellers are known to loudly declare the amount you are withdrawing.
And be careful, bank sharks may be lurking around the corner. They may grab your money and run.
Some bank tellers may stack your money on the counter in full view of the other customers, and perhaps even announce loudly the amount you’re withdrawing.
And that’s when these sharks smell blood. As you leave the bank, they will strike.
That’s what happened to Mr David Tye, 27, at a bank in Johor Baru on 9 Aug.
It was the second case in a month. (See report on page 4.)
Mr Tye, a Malaysian, works in Singapore. As a chef, he works the split shift, and only has about three hours time-off in the afternoons.
He works six days a week and rests only on Sundays.
‘Because of my working hours, it is hard to find time to go to the bank,’ he said.
Since he was not working on National Day, which fell on a Wednesday and was a public holiday in Singapore, he and his girlfriend, 23, went to the bank to make a withdrawal.
He wanted to pay the deposit for a new car, a Honda City, he had bought for RM84,800 ($36,700).
Mr Tye said that he did not transfer the money electronically because he was not familiar with the process.
FASTER
He said: ‘I thought it would be faster this way, and in any case, I also had to get a replacement for my ATM card.
‘We reached the bank at about 12.20pm, and there were about some 30 customers in the queue.’
After submitting his withdrawal form for RM19,300 which he had to pay his car agent, Mr Tye was asked to take a seat - something which surprised him.
He said: ‘I have made withdrawals from other branches too, and the usual procedure would be for me to wait at the counter while the cashier obtains an approval from the manager before giving me the money.’
About five minutes later, the cashier called his name and he returned to the counter.
That was when he had a second surprise.
Mr Tye said: ‘After putting the money through the counting machine, the cashier bundled up the notes of RM50 into stacks of RM5,000 each.
‘Then she placed them on the counter. Everyone in the bank could see it clearly and she did not even give me an envelope.
‘We had to ask her for one before she gave us a used A4 envelope.’
After that, he walked over to another end of the bank. There he was told that he had to wait for 20 minutes before his ATM card would be ready.
Said Mr Tye: ‘We decided to walk to the Alliance Bank (across the road) to bank in the money for my car agent.’
Barely 50m from the bank came the big shock.
He recounted: ‘I had the envelope tucked under my left arm. A man crept up from behind and tugged hard at it.’
The sudden action caused Mr Tye to drop the envelope.
In a flash, he saw a man bend down before running off.
The man was of medium-built and was wearing a polo T-shirt and pants. He was not wearing a helmet, and looked like he is in his early 30s.
Instinctively, Mr Tye assumed the man had grabbed the envelope. So he immediately chased after him.
‘There was another man wearing a helmet, revving up his motorcycle on the road and waiting as the robber ran towards him.
‘Just as I was about to catch up with the first man, I heard the shouts of help from my girlfriend.’
Mr Tye turned back and saw that she had the envelope.
‘I gave up the chase because I thought the man had not managed to get anything.’
It was only later that they realised one bundle of RM5,000 had actually dropped out from the envelope and that the robber had made away with it.
‘Everything just happened too fast,’ said Mr Tye.
When Mr Tye and his girlfriend returned to the bank to get his ATM card, he told an officer that he had been robbed.
When contacted by The New Paper, the bank declined to comment except that ‘it is beyond our control as the unfortunate incident took place outside our premises’.
Mr Tye then made a police report at the Jalan Wong Ah Fook station.
A Johor police spokesman confirmed the report and told The New Paper: ‘The police will try to track the culprits but right now, there is nothing much we can really do.
‘But we have stepped up patrols at areas around the main banks to deter possible robberies. We are also issuing advisories to banks so that the tellers can be more discreet when handling withdrawals.’
Mr Tye said: ‘I know there is no way that I can recover the money. I am just so exasperated because I feel that it could have been prevented had the cashier been more discreet.’
He added: ‘I just want to share my experience so that others will be more careful and alert.
‘I dread to think of the worst that could have happened - that besides losing the money, we could have ended up dead.’
Comment by cheang — August 19, 2006 @ 5:47 pm
In my opinion, Mr Lee’s proposal is commendable for somebody who has suffered and paid dearly.
The stats are improving because the rakyat is frustrated and has lost faith with the system, hence, they are NOT reporting if no blood or life is lost as they know their efforts to report will bear no results!!
It is further double jeopardy for the victims when they will be further fined for the application of a new IC.
P.S. I heard that nowadays that you need NOT file a police report for the re-application of ICs - could this be also a factor towards the improved crime stats?
Comment by Gan CG — August 21, 2006 @ 6:17 am