May the force be with you

Last year’s figures provide clues that the police are continuing to turn the corner on crime

BY any measure, 40 per cent is a sizeable chunk. When it refers to the reduction in the rate of street crimes, the proportion becomes meaningful indeed. For it indicates nearly a halving of the incidence of purse snatching, mugging and theft over the past year.

In fact, even serious crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery and gang robbery are all down, and all thanks to the National Key Result Area on crime, where the Key Performance Index measures the relevant senior officer’s effectiveness. It would appear, then, that making specific individuals responsible for achieving targets is a modus operandi worth pursuing.

In 2010, the police identified the hot spots where crimes were most rampant. These locations were then flooded with police presence, which obviously acted as a deterrent.

Together with this, the types of crimes based on their frequency, too, became the focus of task forces set up to specially deal with the problem. As a result, streets as well as the general environment were safer last year.

Nevertheless, criminal activities of whatever sort are intolerable, which prompted the inspector-general of police to urge his officers not to rest on their laurels and approach the new year with renewed vigour.

While it may seem like a pipe dream to wish for no crime at all, it remains a viable goal and a legitimate public desire. To this end, there needs to be creativity in policing methods.
It was found that cooperation between the police and several security related agencies contributed to the 2011 success, which, therefore, makes good sense to increase the partnership for 2012.

This has made possible the additional 40,000 personnel on the beat in crime hot spots recently and meets the intended strategy of “omnipresence”. The police also intend to step up community policing by optimising the Rukun Tetangga approach.

Lastly, 2012 will see an improvement in communication between the police and the public through the media in an effort to increase awareness. But would a less conventional method work?

In the United States, classical music has become a weapon against crime. Blast it into a public space and witness the disappearance of its haters, so the argument goes.

What genre of music, one wonders, is noxious to Malaysian criminals and appeals to their better nature?