Combating crime together with the force

Combating crime together with the force

WITH the increasing crime rate and the manpower shortage in the police force, community policing is perhaps one of the most practical measures to curb crime.

Never too young: Jipa speaking to the residents and their children before the second patrol.

The programme was recently launched in Ipoh, Muar, and Sedili Kecil in Kota Tinggi,
In Selangor, ACP Arjuinaidi Mohammad of the Petaling Jaya police district has also announced that a pilot project of the programme would be launched at Damansara Kim.

Arjuinaidi had said that if the project was successful, similar programmes would be implemented in other areas in Petaling Jaya.

According to Chief Insp Thomas Sulok, the officer-in-charge (OCS) at the Damansara police station, the objective of the community policing programme is for the local community to co-operate and work with the police to monitor their residential areas.

“It will also increase the public’s confidence in the police. Community policing is also about having the presence of the police in the community,” Sulok said.
“Through activities such as patrolling together, we hope to lower the crime rate,” he said.
He said a meeting would be called to brief the residents about the purpose and operation of the programme.

“Damansara Kim was chosen for the pilot project because its residents association is active and there is encouraging response from the residents. It is also near the Damansara police station,” he said.

Residents interviewed by StarMetro said they were glad that the police had chosen their community for the pilot project.

According to Andrew Chong, a member of the SS20 Rukun Tetangga Jiran Mas, the community policing programme is a chance for the residents to become friends with the police personnel and work with the law enforcement officers to safeguard the security of the community.

One of the activities in the programme is Rondaan bersama PDRM (Patrolling with the Royal Malaysian Police Force), where residents go on patrol in their areas with the police.
SS20 resident Tan Eng Cheang, a Rukun Tetangga committee member, said everyone, including him, had been saying that they did not have the time but he now realised that they could do it if they were willing to make a commitment to the cause.

“We must help ourselves in order for others to help us. We cannot leave everything to the police as they lack the manpower and have limited resources,” Tan said.
“The police also need our support. By patrolling with the police, it will boost their morale as there have been many complaints that the police are not doing their job,” he said.

SS20 Rukun Tetangga chairman Eileen Thong echoed Tan’s sentiment.
“Instead of just complaining, residents should take a pro-active role and do their part for the community. We share a common concern for safety. We should get to know our neighbours and care for each other,” she said.

Thong urged RT committee members to take the lead and walk the talk by taking part in the neighbourhood patrol with the police.

Working together: Damansara Kim residents and police patrolling together during the programme.

“Activities like this also help to promote racial integration,” she said.
According to the flyers distributed to residents, the community policing programme involves groups of four to five residents accompanying the police to patrol in the various zones in their areas.

A team leader will be appointed and the person is responsible for informing the police of the patrol date and time.According to Tan, the patrolling will be done on an ad hoc basis.
“It will not be a set routine or else the criminals would know the pattern and take advantage of the time where there is no patrol,” he said.
Tan said lately the police were more efficient in responding to calls from the public.
“The other day when there was a break-in at my neighbour’s house, they reached the place within five minutes,” he said.

Tan also urged his neighbours to join the Rakan Cop and be the eyes and ears of the police.
Meanwhile, residents from other areas have mixed reaction towards the programme.
Section 12 Residents Association chairman R. Rajasoorian said the programme could only succeed with the cooperation of residents.

“It’s a good idea but it depends on what time the patrol will take place as many of the residents are working,” he said.Theodore Tan, the president of the resident association for the Alissia and Atilia areas in Ara Damansara, also feels that the residents’ cooperation is crucial.
“Our neighbourhood is a guarded community, where we hire security guards. But it will be good to have the police among us,” he said.

“However, I do not think that residents here would want to patrol with the police as they come back from work at different times and some may be too tired then,” he said.