"To develop Penang into a Total Safe City"

Save Penang Series (7) - Crime and Safety

Introduction:

The Penang state government has initiated the “Save City Campaign” since 1st of July, 2007 in a few crime-prone areas within the state. However, the crime situation of Penang is still at a worrying level.

Among the five police districts in the state, the crime rates of Northeast District of Penang and Central District of Seberang Prai are the highest one. Although the police force is under the purview of federal government, but Penang state government and its local government have their duties and obligations to ensure a safe and healthy living environment without fear for Penangites.

By introduction of Save Penang Series (7) on Crime and Safety, DAP would like to state clearly on what will and should be done by the Penang state government and the local councils to improve the crime situation in the state and to develop Penang into a Total Safe City.

Our objectives:

1. To enhance the capacity and capability building of police force
2. To reduce the crime rate and to minimize its loss to the people
3. To regain the public confidence in the police force
4. To ensure the state government and local councils playing their role of crime prevention

Our suggestions:

1. Patrolling:
o To increase the visibility of police personnels either by walking patrol or motorcycling patrol, especially at the tourist spots, industrialized zones and banking areas.
o To increase the police patrolling during weekends or public holidays.
o To mobilize the FRUs into crime-prone areas

2. CCTVs
o To install CCTVs at the strategic locations of crime-prone area. However, we should not highly rely on CCTVs as it may violate the privacy of the public in general and even become a surveillance tool for the police force.

3. Police Booths
o To set up more 24-hour operated police booths at the strategic locations. For a large residential area, a few police booths can be set up within the area.
o To speed up the building projects of police booths

4. Self-Defence Force, RELA, FRU, RT and Police Reserve Corp
o To mobilize Self-Defence Force, RELA, FRU, RT and Police Reserve Corp into crime-prone areas and they must be well-coordinated to enhance the efficiency of patrolling

5. Drug-addicts, homeless people, beggars and illegal immigrants
o To take harsh action against them by joint enforcement among all-related agencies.

6. Assist the people to lodge police reports
o To create the public awareness about their rights to lodge a police report in any of the police stations. A clear and concise instruction must be given in the language of Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English.
o To train the language proficiency of police personnel in Mandarin, Tamil and other languages as to assist the people to lodge their reports.
o To allow the complaint in other languages to be sent through SMS to Rakan Cop.

7. The interactive way of Community Policing
o To organize dialogue between police, residents and community leaders and with the presence of senior police officers.
o To create awareness among the students in the school towards the importance of crime prevention
o To organize anti-drug campaign in the school with the collaboration of police, Health Ministry, Social Welfare Department and Education Department.

8. To enhance the professionalism of police
o To enhance the professionalism of police during arrest and investigation
o To improve the public image of police force and regain the public confidence in it
o To reduce the ratio of police personnel to residents
o To improve the working conditions of police including their salary, welfare, insurance and others

9. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
o Fully implementation of 23 suggestions of Safe City Programme that initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government and agreed upon by all local councils
o All new housing and business areas development projects must strictly adhere to the Safe City concept

10. Crime Prevention Forum and exhibition
o To organize the talks and exhibition in shopping complex, schools and other public spaces
o To organize such forum for private sector

11. To announce the latest crime statistic
o To make it as a weekly announcement

12. Automated alarming system connected with the police station
o To make compulsory for every house to install the automated alarming system connected with the police station
o By just pressing a button, the victim could ask the police assistance within couple of minutes

13. To set up a state-level Ombudsman
o To make it as a way to check the corruption, misusing of power and malpractice among the police personnel, government servants and officers
o To urge the immediate setting up of Independent Police Complaint and Misconduct Commission

14. To reassign the police personnel
o To reassign at least two-thirds of Special Branch personnel into Crime Investigation Department
o To let the Special Branch to combine with Military Intelligence Unit, Intelligence Unit of Information Ministry and Intelligence Unit of Foreign Affairs Ministry and become a new intelligence-gathering unit

15. To restore the democratic election of local councils
o To restore the democratic election of local councils immediately as a way to improve their efficiency to implement safe city concept and to check the corrupt practice among the local councils.

For any feedback or suggestion, please email to nweiaik@gmail.com

Presented by,
Special Task Force of
DAP’s Save Penang Series

Contact: Ng Wei Aik (Political Secretary to DAP Secretary-General)
Mobile No: 019-2459305