What Malaysians want is a new and serious culture of “zero tolerance to crime” at all levels of government
The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared a war on crime three days ago, late by four years and a resounding vindication of the verdict of the 13GE on May 5 expressing grave voter dissatisfaction and displeasure at the failure of the four-year Najib premiership to deal with the problem of crime and the fear of crime.
It is no use the Barisan Nasional and police leadership claiming that the crime rate has been coming down under the Government Transformation Programme when over the past four years the spectre of the fear of crime have been hounding and haunting Malaysians.
There is no public confidence in the police statistics about crime reduction so long as Malaysians avoid lodging police reports even though they are victims of crime because of the hassle as well as the futility of lodging police reports.
As a result, contrary of police statistics, Malaysians are convinced that the crime rate and the fear of crime have been increasing by leaps and bounds in the past few years.
Najib's declaration of war against crime suffered bodily blows by recent blatant and flagrant incidence of crime.
In Taman Taynton View in Cheras, criminals have acted openly by robbing customers and owners of a seafood restaurant, getting away with RM4,000 from the cash register and RM16,000 in cash and valuables from the customers.
Two women was robbed of their car in Petaling Jaya and one of them was fortunate to escape rape, while even in Kelantan, the people do not feel safe from the rising incidence of crime.
What Malaysians want is not an empty “declaration of war against crime” by the Prime Minister, the most “political” Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the most “political” Home Minister, but a new culture of “zero tolerance to crime” at all levels of government.
The question is whether the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and Inspector-General of Police are capable of communicating a new and serious sense of “zero tolerance of crime” both to the public and to criminals, as this is first important step to win the war against crime and the fear of crime.