LETTERS: I WAS shocked by the mass stabbings in a Sydney shopping centre last Saturday.
Nowadays, 24/7 vigilance is a must, and security measures must be tested regularly by enforcement agencies.
Plainclothes policemen can mimic the actions of suspicious characters to see whether they are spotted by security guards manning closed-circuit television cameras.
More K-9 units should also be deployed.
These measures require a large budget but they are sound investments, as they would deter criminals and inspire confidence in the public.
The stabbing incident also got me thinking about what I should do if I were to encounter such a situation.
We ought to have contingency plans to deal with all kinds of emergencies and situations to prevent or minimise danger, harm, injury and damage.
How should one react if one were to see people running away in a shopping centre? If there were gunshots, they would have been heard.
Stabbings cannot be heard and those running away are usually too scared to say anything intelligible. I would also be frightened and take flight.
However, taking heed of the Sydney tragedy, instead of taking flight, I will now brace myself to fight, but not with my bare hands. Someone frail and old like me will need a sturdy walking stick, which can be an effective weapon against a person with a knife or dagger.
Although I value my life, it is less important than any of my family members who are with me.
In these situations, assailant(s) should be intercepted without delay. If Inspector Amy Scott had not neutralised the knifeman by shooting him, more people would have been killed or injured.
Y.S. CHAN
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times