By John Sebastian
November 18, 2010
Malaysian Insider

NOV 18 — Another survey has appeared to say that people are now feeling safer and that fear of becoming victims of crime has dropped slightly for the December 2009 to May 2010 period.

Right. It doesn’t take into account the four burglary cases in a guarded cul-de-sac in Bandar Sri Damansara earlier this week.

It doesn’t take into account the brazen day-light robberies and burglaries in Kota Damansara these past few months.

And that it took the police more than a few hours to turn up just to brush the crime scene for finger prints.

But TNS Research International (TNS) said the fear of becoming victims of crime has dropped slightly from 58.5 per cent in December 2009 to 55.1 per cent in May 2010.

TNS managing director Yazid Jamian said the drop in the public’s fear of crime index signifies growing confidence in the police force.

“The 3.4 per cent drop within a short time period is significant, and marks a commendable improvement as it indicates that Malaysians are now less fearful of becoming victims of crime,” he said in a press statement that appeared in The Malaysian Insider today.

TNS also said ”robbery and burglary” category of the index recorded a vast improvement, with a 10 per cent drop to 58.7 per cent this year, and “violence” had a 3 per cent improvement to 44.9 per cent. However fear of “vehicle crime” increased from 58.8 per cent in December 2009 to 62.5 per cent in May 2010.

This is nothing more than a good news festival before the impending elections.

Fact is, it sounds a bit like Tun Abdullah Badawi’s report card before his Barisan Nasional (BN) went to the 2008 general elections.

It didn’t work, did it?

Fact is more housing estates are having to handle own security, hire guards and put up barricades. It doesn’t work, does it?

Fact is also that police more reluctant to accept reports from public. They don’t work, do they?

Fact is that Malaysians are altering their lives everyday because of fear of crime. People are putting in more locks, closed-circuit or cyber-camera systems and alarm systems. Because they don’t feel safe.

And there is a real fear of crime.

So if Pemandu and any other alphabet soup committee actually believe the better crime situation in the country, they must be on magic mushrooms.

The day Malaysians don’t feel the need to engage their own security guards to guard their homes and family is the day when the tide against crime has been turned.

That day isn’t coming as soon as the next general elections. So give us a break. Spare us the good news according to surveys. Just do more to make all Malaysians feel safe.