KUALA LUMPUR: AWARE of the rise in snatch thefts, several local councils have taken measures to help police overcome the problem.
City Hall Corporate Planning Department director Khalid Zakaria said the local authority had allocated RM7 million to build pedestrian bridges in nine areas.
It also allocated RM1 million for research and to provide a master plan pertaining to pedestrians.
The department is installing more anti-climb fencing at strategic walkways, including those in the city centre and at public attractions.
Khalid said City Hall, via its Security Equipment Installation Programme, leases 560 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras for the purpose of monitoring security and traffic.
“We lease the cameras from a contractor that does regular maintenance on the equipment to make sure the condition of the CCTV system remains operational. Its quality is of the utmost importance. If we find it unsatisfactory, we will stop the contractor’s service (contract).”
Some of the cameras, said Khalid, were linked to the respective district police headquarters, which means that the video
feeds are directed straight to
the police headquarters
for prompt response.
“Under the City Hall 2016 Budget, there’s an allocation of RM42.2 million to execute projects to provide road lights and facilities for the city’s traffic system.
“Included in the allocation is RM8.9 million for the installation of LED lights involving four
projects and a further RM2 million for street lights in back lanes to ensure people’s safety,” said Khalid.
He said City Hall, from time-to-time, would hold community programmes jointly with agencies, such as police and non-governmental organisations at housing areas and schools to create awareness on snatch theft crimes.
Meanwhile, Petaling Jaya City Council public relations officer Zainun Zakaria said the council had implemented the Safe City Programme over the past five years.
“We have executed various elements of the Safe City Programme concept, such as installing lights in isolated, crime-prone areas, upgrading pedestrian walkways and changing traffic flows, cooperating with police to curb street and petty crimes and enhancing security by installing more CCTV cameras,” she said.
Zainun said the council had identified 96 areas, which were potential crime hotspots, and had installed CCTV cameras at these places.
She cited the example of Section 52, where there was a separation of pedestrians and vehicle traffic.
Zainun said the council had also engaged with local communities by organising awareness programmes.
“Funding for residents’ associations and joint management bodies (at condominiums and apartment complexes) have also increased from RM5,000 a year to RM6,000 per annum,” she said.
Penang Island City Council, on the other hand, had adopted the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) in its efforts to fight crime.
Its secretary, Ang Aing Thye, said this was because CPTED was considered a more proactive approach in terms of strategy as it ensured the prevention of crime through various stages of planning.
“The modification of physical environmental elements is believed to be able to reduce the possibility of crime.
“However, the measurement of the preventive approach components needs to be more detailed and efficient,” he said.
Ang said as for Penang, the council had allocated RM38.5 million for the installation of CCTV cameras, notably at major tourist areas.
“We have been receiving reports from police that tourists are the main targets especially at heritage sites. Due to this, we have installed 318 CCTV cameras costing about RM25.5 million.”
Ang said the council planned to install 216 more CCTV cameras this year to the tune of RM13 million.
He said the council understood the importance of the cameras as they acted as a deterrence and would allow police to identify snatch thieves as well as assist
in the investigation of other crimes.
“The council has also built walkways, which separate pedestrians from motorists, along the roads on the island.”