Media statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 4^th October 2010: 

New IGP must seriously grapple with the new Malaysian phenomenon where crime index falls but Malaysians feel even more unsafe!

DAP Member of Parliament for Rasah and Negri Sembilan State Assemblyman for Lobak Anthony Loke, who is also DAPSY National chief, was the latest victim of crime when he was rudely awakened early this morning by five parang-wielding robbers who broke into his Seremban home and tied him up, along with his elderly parents.

The 4am incident took place after the robbers cut through the front door lock, and woke the occupants in the double-storey terrace house in Taman Yoon Chan, Seremban – hitherto quite crime-free but no more safe.

Recently, both the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had made great play about the successful NKRA on crime reduction, claiming that there have been a drastic drop in the crime rate with improvement of the crime index since January this year.

However, up and down the country, ordinary Malaysians do not feel this dividend of fall of crime index in their daily lives as they do not feel comparatively safer in the streets, public places or privacy of their homes as compared to previous years as highlighted by the terrible ordeal which Loke and his parents went through early this morning.

I call on the new Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar to seriously grapple with this new phenomenon in Malaysia where crime index falls but Malaysians feel even more unsafe in many areas.

I had invited public responses to the question: “Crime index down but do you feel safer?” on my twitter, facebook and blog, and the following are some of the responses:

Twitter:

• Robbery on going in my housing area for the past few weeks. If we are safe, there won't be any gated community.

• KL, never felt more unsafe

• Safe? Even Police are not pro-active when suspicious activity is being reported to them.

• i dun feel safe. scary to see so many crimes still unsolved

• definitely still not safe. My security committee had 2publicise tat dey caught a robber 2get funds4 guards

• penang - 10 police doing roadblocks, hide behind trees, lanes in the dark - how2 be safe? when they ought to do more rounds

• YB Uncle, nobody is safe if we don't do anything. Our security are depending on Nepal guard. Is that the way make us safer?

• No, sir, I definitely don't feel safe walking/driving on our streets!

• We are worse off. Can someone suggest that those security fee to guard our house be exempted from income tax?

• sir, I'm sure u know the stats were manipulated. My cousin had accident, made police report but got scolded by police instead.

• thanks and NO I do not feel safe walking in Brickfields as even at day time there are snatch thefts and at night there are parang gangs walking around. Have experienced both. Like in UK the Govt must put in place safer measures to fight crime, not only increase police n patrols( which has been done but no success ) but also "talking cameras" where victims can be warned off, the observers must respond if crime is to be reduced

Blog:

• All of us will have to hire security guards from Indonesia. Give them more jobs! When police cannot protect you, you need to protect yourself, with guns.

• Crime index has not come down. William Cheng commented in today’s Oriental Daily News that in order to create a false picture that crime index has come down, police refused to entertain victims who came forward to lodge reports. These poor victims were being “pushed” to go from one police station to another until they got tired and gave up lodging the report.

• When the people complained about the high crime rate in the country not so long ago, the Govt. said it was a matter of perception. Now we are being told that the crime index has come down. Can we say that it is also a matter of perception? With more and more neighbourhood hiring security personnel to look after the safety of the residents, how can we say that the security situation has improved? Worse, we have also to contend with hordes of foreign criminals.

Facebook

• of cos not! a auntie was just killed in a plotted robbery in front of her house early in the morning going to work recently at my kampung!

• I feel cheaper.....my life is getting cheaper every time..just waiting for the day the robbers make their way into my life..sigh...

• the highest crime ratio in SEA is really Malaysia. Robberies, rapes,murders almost happen every second..Where we have big robbers like Umnoputras robbing the country's coffers, the small one also follow their big brothers' footsteps..

Last Thursday, the new IGP unveiled his vision, the “4P” plan, for the police to deliver more efficient services to the public – proactive, protective, performance-oriented and people-oriented.

As a first step, he should prove this “4P” plan is meaningful to Malaysians, visitors, tourists and investors in ensuring a safer country to work, live and play where official announcements of falling crime index is greeted with public acclaim rather than public cynicism because there is no match between the fall in crime index as announced and the public feeling more safe from crime than before, whether for person or property.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor