Some residents find gated and guarded areas stifling and unfriendly

theSTAR
Tuesday April 24, 2012

DESPITE a recent announcement of a drop in crime rate in Malaysia, residents of Section 6 in Kota Damansara do not feel safe despite living in a gated and guarded area.

While some openly welcome the need for extra safety measures, others feel the gated community is hampering their movement and more importantly, depriving them of a friendly neighbourhood.

Section 6 in Kota Damansara is a large area with over 800 terrace and bungalow houses.

Some sections there have had the gated and guarded scheme for a number of years.

Resident Al Padzul Abu Hassan, 47, believes residents have other choices to safeguard their homes instead of gates and security.

“It feels like an army camp. What happened to good old neighbourhood watches? Neighbours can help look out for each other’s homes. My neighbour and I do it all the time,” he said.

His neighbour Kok Choon Yin, 49, and he have always been looking after each other’s property when one of them is away.

“Locking each other’s gate (if the other forgets to close or lock), leaving the lights on during the balik kampung exodus and helping each other in times of need, are just some of the routines we practice. It has brought us closer,” added Kok.

According to them, they had tried implementing a Rukun Tetangga walkabout but after a few times stopped upon seeing the lack of commitment.

Some of the residents were frustrated when their neighbours did not participate.

Another neighbour, a former police officer, who wished to be known as Gan, said the job of ensuring public safety lies with the police and not the residents.

He said the police force had doubled but it was not enough to deter crime.

According to Al Padzul, they have seen police cars patrolling the neighbourhood every two hours but they believe the stations are understaffed. However, they claimed that the Kota Damansara police officers had been really helpful and responded quickly to distress calls.

Gan however, feels some officers can do more for the community.

“The officers should get down from the vehicle, get to know the residents, check if the cars and doors are locked. We used to do these things as it is part of looking after the people,” said Gan.

Al Padzul also thinks the police can tap into other resources like getting National Service trainees to do a three-month practical by policing neighbourhoods.

“This short practical stint can be included in their syllabus,” he said.

He believes the trainees can put their training to good use and it will save the Government a lot of money.

However, there are also residents who support the scheme because of the increase in robberies and snatch thefts.

Surau Al Falah chairman Che Mohammad Che Idris said snatch thefts are a daily occurrence near the surau and some even steal the money from the donation box placed inside.

“We have placed drums to block motorcycles from coming in. Although it does not deter them totally, we have seen a drop in the number of cases,” he added.

Aziz Mat Aris said the crime rate in his area had dropped significantly.

“I now get a good night’s sleep because I know it is safe.”

He added that the guards were really strict when dealing with motorcyclists and it had made them feel safe.

“It is not like the army security but it deters outsiders from coming in and it is not expensive since there are many residents,” he added.

His fellow resident Fathurrahman Abd Hamid who lives in Jalan 6/1 said the gated and guarded scheme depends on individul opinion.

Fathurrahman said the neighbourhood watch would only work for the first few months before everyone reverts back to their old ways.

He said it did not matter how many police officers were employed as they could not be everywhere at the same time.

“We have to care for our own area as well. There are definitely pros and cons to the gated and guarded scheme. We have to take many things into consideration,” he added.

When contacted, Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said according to their statistics, the crime rate in Kota Damansara has dropped.

He said if the residents felt the the crime rate had gone up, they should report this to the police.

When asked about the number of police officers in the Kota Damansara police station, he said: “We are planning to increase the number. It is an ongoing process. Sometimes, residents may not be able to spot the officers as they are in plainclothes but rest assured that they are patrolling the area.”

ORIGINAL POSTING : theSTAR