By Philip Andrew     July 30, 2008      Categories: News

The Klang district has seen its crime index shooting up by an alarming 58.9 per cent over the first three months of the year. 

Klang MP Charles Santiago told a crime forum last Saturday that from January to May, there were 3,327 cases reported and 448 arrests. There were 15,680 cases and 3,083 arrests made between 2005 and 2007.

He said the figures were released in Parliament on July 10 by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.

The forum was told that residents in Klang were living in fear and needed police to take immediate measures to restore confidence in the force.
 
To reduce crime in Klang, Syed Hamid had proposed the following measures.
 
i) Building eight new police stations bringing the total to 13 (six for North Klang and seven for South Klang);

ii) Establishing seven community police stations and two community bases;

iii) Increasing the number of police personnel in the district from 881 to 913 this year;

iv) To divide the Klang police district into the Klang North and Klang South districts.

Klang deputy police chief Supt Chong Kok Sin who represented the police chief at the forum, assured disgruntled residents that there would be no let-up in efforts to eradicate crime.

"We do not condone bribery and will come down hard on errant officers," he told residents. Earlier, several residents had complained to Chong that they had seen cops going on 'collection' rounds.

Chong advised them to be fair with their complaints and urged them to call him on his cell phone to report such incidents if they were worried their identities would be exposed.

On prostitution, Chong said police conducted regular raids. He said most of the foreign women screened during the raids have valid travel documents and some even have permits to work in massage parlours. "It does not mean foreign women in hotels are prostitutes."
 
Chong added that they are unable to to nab those offering "extra services" as it takes place in hotel rooms. There were also cases when embassies would send protest notes to the police when their citizens are picked up.

Klang Municipal Council president Mislan Tugiu told the forum the council would replace the 70 watt bulbs in lamp posts with 150 watt bulbs. Although this would mean additional expenses for the council, it will improve lighting and help bring about a reduction in the crime.