Give priority to safe communities too, PM urged

THE STAR, WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER 2009

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to introduce the idea of safe communities, in line with the 1Malaysia concept.

In a statement yesterday, Lee said the foundation felt that safety and security for all Malaysians should be incorporated in 1Malaysia.

“A 1Malaysia must also mean a safe and secure Malaysia,” he said.

“This can be achieved when the private and public sectors work in partnership to improve safety and health standards in the community,” he added.

Other than the economy, crime was a major concern among Malaysians, said Lee.

“As law enforcement alone is inadequate to tackle crime, the Government has to promote effective social policies and programmes to prevent criminal activities.”

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The reason I decided to post this article from the THE STAR is to highlight a specific point in specific reference to Taman Mutiara Puchong and the dilemma the Residents Association is currently having to deal with.

The following are the main issues and the proposed solution to each issue and the dilemma associated with it:

1. Additional lighting at specific weak areas (dark area caused by insufficient lighting). 6 locations have been selected for the additional lighting by way of installation of additional DB boxes tapping the power from the existing TNB cables through the lamp post as per advice from contractor.
- RA have gone ahead as this is a crucial enhancement for the community to increase visibility after dark thus allowing the security personnel during their rounds to have better vision and as a deterrent to would be trespassers as having these weak areas properly lighted will definitely discourage any would be intruders
PROBLEM/COMPLICATIONS: TNB have instructed the RA to get approval from MPSJ to allow these DB Boxes to be installed in Taman Mutiara Puchong since the said area is in the jurisdiction of MPSJ. TNB will only approve the application once MPSJ have given consent.
SOLUTION: RA have forwarded the application for consent to MPSJ and currently awaiting reply. The RA have also seek the assistance of JKP Zone 9 to ensure that the consent is obtained soonest possible.

2. Upgrading of the current perimeter metal grille portion of the fencing (due to weather beaten/rusting condition/safety concerns)to a high quality galvanized steel weldfence for weather proof antirust fencing.
- RA have gone ahead and installation will commence early October 2009 with the initial phase covering the perimeter wall along Jalan TMP 2A.
- New weldfence design will enhance security and eliminate i) stray dogs due to the design of reduced spacing; ii) eliminate easy access by clinbing; iii) long term saving due to galvanized surface/antirust for at least 10 years
Issue: Handover of TMP still in limbo and non-conclusive after a very prolonged duration. Approval by MPSJ is necessary for the new weldfence installation, application already submitted to MPSJ in June 2009 but reply non-conclusive hence the RA decided unanimously due to the fact that enhancing security and safety for all 2000+ residents in TMP outweighs local council red tape etc.
- new weldfence installation only involves the metal grille mid section and does not change actual structure of the perimeter wall.

3. Upgrading of CCTV system due to current system being obselete
- new system will allow for better image recording and additional cameras will allow monitoring of all individuals and car registration number for total data collection if and when a particular incident arises due to unruly behaviour by visitors or even residents as this will allow for data (video recording) to be used as evidence.
- new system will also allow for remote viewing hence surveillance will be enhanced further since activities in the main guardhouse will be monitored by the security sub committee providing relevant check and balance.

4. Dual Lane Entry application
- The RA have previously submitted application for the said dual lane entry to MPSJ, however the reply is still the same since the "HANDOVER" issue is not resolved therefore resulting in the said application being pending in status awaiting resolution of the handover issue with the developer.
- The RA have recently adopted a proactive approach by seeking for the relevant building plans for the said area of the guardhouse up to the "Kawasan Lapang" near the entry point to the left in order for RA appointed architect/contractor to draft out a proper plan to submit to MPSJ for approval while awaiting the said hansover issue to be resolved (RA have set an objective of resolution by December 2009)
Problem/Complication: MPSJ officer for unknown reason have given us the wrong plans twice on 2 separate occasions. This has resulted in the delay of drafting the said proposal to be forwarded to MPSJ for prior approval subject to the resolution of handover dilemma.

All of the above 4 primary enhancements approved and mandated by the residents through the recently concluded EGM 2009 have long been discussed dating back to 2008 and 2007 (Dual lane entry).

However due to the said complications mentioned the residents in TMP are subjected to unnecessary delay and waiting period which is truly an inconvenience to supportive residents and a boon for defaulters as the security personnel no matter how good they are or professional will always have difficult residents (especially defaulters) to deal with since they are able to block traffic if they are not permitted entry unless proper registration.

The RA is steadfastly pursuing all of the above and with a lot of luck and assistance from JKP Zone 9 and MPSJ, hopes that there will be a positive resolution around the corner before the end of 2009.

ALL OF THE ABOVE IMPLEMENTATION WHEN COMPLETED WILL ENHANCE SECURITY AND SAFETY OF ALL RESIDENTS IN A PROACTIVE WAY WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE RA MOTTO OF PREVENTIION IS THE CURE TO CRIME AND REGARDLESS ALL INHABITANTS OF TAMAN MUTIARA PUCHONG WILL BENEFIT FROM THESE IMPLEMENTATION, YES INCLUDING DEFAULTERS (RA SINCERELY HOPE THAT ALL DEFAULTERS WILL COME TO THEIR SENSES AND MEET WITH THEIR SOCIAL OBLIGATIONS OF PAYING UP).

NOTE: TO ALL CONCERNED RESIDENTS WHOM ARE WONDERING WHAT ACTION THE RA WILL TAKE AGAINST SUCH DEFAULTERS, THE RA IS CURRENTLY FORMULATING A VERY PROACTIVE STRATEGY AND WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY WHEN THE TIME COMES. SUCH MEASURES ARE NECESSARY AND ONLY FAIR TO THE 92% OF RESIDENTS WHOM ARE PAYING ON TIME AND ENSURING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE COMMUNITY.

TAMAN MUTIARA PUCHONG HAVE BEEN CRIME FREE FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. THIS IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT AND HENCE SUPPORT FROM ALL RESIDENTS IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO TO CONTINUE WITH SUCH AN EXCELLENT TRACK RECORD.

THE RA HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF ALL MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF ALL RESIDENTS AND I WANT ALL RESIDENTS TO REALIZE THAT THIS BOILS DOWN TO THE SUPERB VOLUNTARY EFFORT OF ALL RA MEMBERS WHOM HAVE SERVED SELFLESSLY. KUDOS TO ALL OF THE RA MEMBERS FOR A JOB WELL DONE.

PLEASE CONTINUE YOUR SUPPORT AND PLAY A PART IN ENSURING THAT ALL RESIDENTS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND ENHANCE THE COMMUNITY IN YOUR OWN CONSTRUCTIVE AND POSITIVE WAY.

Prevention Is The CURE!

This is the mantra we should all chant to maintain the highest state of alertness in avoiding a catastrophe, incident, accident and etc. All it takes is a little effort to ensure that a preventive measure has been put into place and this will help you avoid one of the negative factors which could affect your life (family members) and in some instances change it even.

Please do your part to ensure that the safety of your home and your family members comes first, as the world economy is ailing and more people lose their jobs and livelihood, many will turn into crime to make a living and to survive. With this said it is also time for us to be aware that such environment will lead to more crime and thus escalating crime rates throughout the country. This is already evident when you read the news in the papers, news on tv and even online.

Do your part by ensuring that the perimeter of your house is well lit after dark and that sensor lights at the back is turned on. Although we are living in a gated and guarded environment, preventive measures are still necessary as people who resort to criminal activities are those that have nothing to lose or desperate even.

Please recap by reading all the previous blog post pertaining security and safety and do your best to prevent and be the obstacle to any potential criminal act.

Remember only 2 types of people that are not concerned about safety and security:

1) people who are insane and
2) criminals

The above was mentioned to me in one of the security prevention seminar I attended.

COMMUNITY POLICING IS EVERY RESIDENTS RESPONSIBILITY!

Herculean task to check crime in Selangor

By LOURDES CHARLES

SELANGOR police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar (pic) has a big task ensuring that crime in the state is kept in check, while bearing with public criticism over rising crime.

The state’s police strength is only 10,000 personnel members and given the state’s population of eight million this means one policeman has to protect 800 people.

Q: House break-ins, car-jackings, snatch thefts and other robberies are on the rise. People are extremely worried. How do you plan to combat such crimes?

A: We recently formed several task forces to tackle the three most feared crimes: wayside robberies, car-jackings and house break-ins.

Every district has its own task force and when crime occurs in one district the task forces in all districts will be mobilised to search for the suspects. That is why we have arrested or eliminated quite a number of armed house break-ins, car-jackings and wayside robbery gangs during confrontations and shootouts.

We have had a good measure of success for January and the beginning of February as far as these three crimes are concerned.

In fact, the crime rate for January and the first two weeks of February for all three crimes is down by 13% compared with the corresponding period last year.

We will continue to further reduce crime.

Q: How serious is the gangster problem in Selangor and how cooperative are victims or the public in providing information about these gangs?

A: We have identified several Chinese, Indian and Malay gangs operating in Kajang, Klang, Puchong and Gombak. We recently arrested several of their leaders under the Emergency Ordinance. They are now serving time in several detention centres.

We hope the public can continue to give us more information so that we can rid the state of these bad hats. The public should not be afraid of retaliation. They can SMS me or call me with information on any form of crime. I assure them I will personally look into the matter.

READ MORE......

My initial reaction after reading the above article when I first stumble upon it going through the paper is......crime is rising? You must understand why my initial reaction is more of a suprise rather than being alarmed as one would naturally be.

My initial reaction can be partly attributed to the fact that I am enjoying the benefits of living in a gated and guarded housing community and therefore having the privilege of being more protected and shielded as oppose to others. It is already a proven fact statistically though I do not have the actual numbers to show but with reference to a couple of articles in the past which I have read, there is indeed a mention about low crime rate in gated and guarded community or zero crime rate.

I am one of the more lucky individuals as I am blessed with the fact that where I live, I am able to boast about a record of minimal crime up until now since late 2006...apart from some undergarments being stolen by construction workers in the early years(1 case) and a house or 2 being used as hostel or accomodation for foreigners engaging in illegal activities in the most recent incident a couple months back (2 cases).

In actual fact it should be classified as zero crime since those mentioned above are petty one off incidents and in fact were quickly reported and measures taken almost immediately to prevent reoccurence.

In Taman Mutiara Puchong I am proud to say that the RA have painstakingly taken the time and effort to ensure that safety and security is the top priority from day one with the implementation of the following to date:

1) compelled developer to erect the barb-wire fencing throughout the perimeter wall fencing enclosing the entire TMP (this took more than a year of correspondences)
2) compelled the developer to replace faulty boom gate to ensure that that the security is not compromise by having an entry point without a functioning boom gate or one that is always open to all.
3) weather sheltered guard post as opposed to the umbrella system in the past, whenever there is downpour or a hot sunny day the guards will disperse to seek shelter in nearby vacant units closest to their posts.
4) floodlights in the park installed generously by MPSJ after many applications and pursuasion, the reason is because such floodlights in actual fact should have been installed by the developer but otherwise due to reasons only known to them. The park area since have become brighter and thus providing a safer environment as oppose to before being pitch black.
5) floodlight opposite the bio waste management depo opposite the nursery was installed by MPSJ after the RA send in the application to highlight the danger of the junction it poses to motor vehicles and pedestrians.
6) speed breakers outside MBF printing and TMP also installed after application to MPSJ to report danger of the curve and speeding vehicles around the bend posing a serious danger to the residents exiting from TMP onto the main road leading outto LDP.
7) close monitoring of the security vendor SOP and on many occasions replacing the said vendor when security management standards do not meet the SOP stipulated by RA. Current security vendor is the best to date (after changing vendors 5X) and the most proactive as they are willing to take criticism constructively and to improve immediately which to date have proven to be a great asset to the community.
8) barring of access cards of defaulters to ensure tighter access control to prevent any loopholes or misuse of the access cards by outsiders. The assumption here is that if you are a resident security will be a priority unless otherwise, so resident owners whould always place great emphasis on keeping their accounts updated.
9) speed breakers constructed most recently (Feb'09) to discourage speeding within the community compound with the upmost priority to protect children bicycling and crossing the roads to the park area.

Upcoming initiatives planned....
1) Dual lane entry to ease congestion and queuing time for residents gaining entry by allowing segration of visitors and properly assigned and allocated parking bays for visitors. Such an initiative will also assist in increasing the security level as visitors vetting can be done more efficiently and effectively with a dedicated entry lane just for them coupled with the properly allocated parking bays for them to park and to register at the guardhouse before gaining entry like any other gated and guarded community (closest example YTL LakeEdge)
- proposed plan above submitted to MPSJ more than a year ago but delay is due to the fact that the R & D - road and drainage of the entire TMP are yet to be handed over to MPSJ by the developer hence the limbo.
2) Additional 2-3 CCTV cameras to cover the corners of the perimeter wall, but the said CCTV system initially installed by the developer needs to be upgraded properly to facilitate additional cameras, the other complication is the electrical points which are needed to complete installation which is not provided for. Looking into the possibility of going wireless but only if affordable and justifiable.
3) Additional street lighting for TMP dark spots.
4) Lighting for each of the sheltered guard post.

With all of the above initiatives implemented and more planned, I am just happy to be staying where I am and rather than take things for granted I choose to take it as a privilege and to be a part of a community that is well managed and preserved for the betterment of all in it.

Kudos to all of my neighbours whom have served so well and unselfishly voluntarily to make TMP a safer and more secure community. Be thankful that in TMP we are not as exposed as others in Puchong or other parts of Selangor.

Note: Please do more to put in place preventive measures in your own home although we are in a gated and guarded environment.

Home Safety Tips From TMP RA Security SubCom

Going Away During Festive Seasons......

Whenever you plan to go away during a festive season or for a vacation, here are some tips on things you could do to protect your home for your peace of mind.

Inform your neighbours and management office :
You may let your neighbours know how long you plan to be away, so they can keep an eye on your property. Remember to leave your contact number to neighbours in case of emergency.

Activate the security alarm system :
You may leave your house keys and alarm PIN number or remote control with a relative living nearby or a neighbour, so that they could check for you in the event of triggered alarm or false alarm. It is advisable to reset your alarm system with a temporary PIN number before giving it to them.

Interior and exterior lightings :
Install a timer which allows lighting to be switched on and off at preset times to avoid the notice of your absence by the outsiders. You may consider leaving a table lamp or some lights on during your outings.

Keep garden tools, equipments, ladders
Garden tools, equipments and ladders should be kept and locked up in a safe place as they could be used by a burglar to break in and gain entry to the house.

Keep refuse bin
Tidy away your refuse bins. Do not keep them in the refuse chamber as the garbage collector may leave them outside after collecting the garbage. Ask your neighbour to close the refuse chamber door if it is opened.

Stop newspaper & food supply
Cancel deliveries of milk, bread, newspapers etc. If anything continues to be delivered, ask your neighbour to collect them. Uncollected items will draw attention of the outsiders that your house is unoccupied.

Care for your plants
Ask your neighbour or gardener to help to water or maintain the exterior plants. You may give the external gate's key to your neighbour or gardener for this purpose. Also, you may put your interior plants outside to be maintained together.

Prevent water retention
Make sure all the empty containers, vases, flower pots etc at exterior are overturned or covered to avoid water retention for mosquito breeding.

Inform the guards
You may want to inform the guards so they can check and prevent any suspicious visitors from approaching your house.

Pets
Remember to make arrangements for your pet's boarding.

Other things before you leave your home:
- Close and secure all windows, doors and gates
- Remove all plugs from sockets
- Close all water taps
- Disconnect the hob from the gas supply or close the gas supply outlet
- Turn down your house telephone's ringing volume


Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday!