KOTA KINABALU: Crime prevention is everyone’s responsibility, not just a job for the police.
Crime can be reduced by simple measures such as remembering to lock your door, knowing about common con games, and watching out for your neighborhood.
But senior citizens are more vulnerable to certain crimes, such as purse snatching, mugging and fraud.
In a bid to protect the elderly, the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan held a special program to help senior citizens feel safe on the street as well as in their own homes.
A talk on ‘Security – current problems of illegal immigrants, home security, white collar crimes, biometric systems’ was held recently by state deputy commissioner of police SAC Tan Kok Liang at the Sabah Association of Senior Citizens (SASC) to ensure senior citizens know how to protect themselves from being victimized.
“We hope through such a program, they (senior citizens) would not become victims.
“We want them to feel safe and comfortable in their environment, either on the street or in their own homes.
“If something happens, they know what need to be done and how to react,” said Tan to The Borneo Post.
Early on, ASP Wong Ting Lee from the Sabah police headquarters disciplinary committee talked on numerous factors on how crime could take place.
According to Wong, opportunity, desire, will and skill of a criminal were among the main factors that could cause a crime to be committed.
“Police have been fighting hard to ensure the safety of the people by organizing numerous crime prevention programmes such as Ops Bersepadu, aggressive policing, intelligence led policing, OMNI presence, MPV and traffic patrol, stop and talk/meet and greet, psychology war and setting up volunteer groups.
“One of the strategies used by the police in fighting crimes is ‘Community Oriented Policing’ and ‘Smart Partnership’ through Rakan Cop,” said Wong.
Rakan Cop, said Wong is a medium of instruction to bridge the gap between the police and the community through a clearer, simplier, integrated and systematic manner.
“Rakan Cop enables the community, government agencies, private sector, NGOs and individuals to act as the eyes and ears for the police in fighting crimes,” she said, adding that the public could provide valuable information to the police through short message services (SMS) or call the nearest police station directly.
The program first touches on home safety where Wong reminded participants to install deadbolt locks on all exterior doors.
“Keep your doors locked at all times, even when you’re inside. Protect windows and sliding glass doors with good locks or other security devices. Also make your home appear occupied when you go out by using a timer to turn on lights and a radio,” she said.
“Never let strangers in your home without checking their identification, and if in doubt, call their company if you’re not sure. Install a peephole in your door and use it,” she said.
Wong also reminded women never to hold their purse or bags close to their body as it would lead to self injury if someone snatched their bags.
“If your bag is being snatched, just let it go and try not to put up a fight as such action could only endanger yourself if the thief is carrying a dangerous weapon.
What if you were assaulted? Wong said if the attacker was only after your purse or other valuables then don’t resist.
“Your life and safety are worth more than your possessions. Make a conscious effort to get an accurate description of the attacker and call the police,” she said.
“For the men, never carry your wallet in your back pocket. If you have to, then make sure your back pocket has a button or zip. This would make it difficult for someone to snatch your wallet from behind,” she added.
Wong also encouraged participants not to carry large sums of money and do not display large amount of cash in stores or public places.
“Never put your purse or wallet on a counter while you examine merchandise in a store,” she said.
According to Wong, older citizens were more prone to fraudulent schemes than the younger generation.
“Keep informed about the latest con schemes in your community by reading the newspapers. Be skeptical about any proposal that sounds too good to be true, such as the get rich quick schemes, investments that promise unusually large returns, ‘bomoh’ (traditional healer), or individuals who claim to be a representative of a Welfare Department.
“If you are the victim of such fraud or schemes, immediately lodge a police report. You may be embarrassed because you were tricked, but your information is vital in catching the con artist and preventing others from being victimized,” said Wong.
Overall, the program organized by the SASC received good feedback and response from the more than 70 senior citizens who attended the program.
Also present were SASC president Datuk William Chai, SASC vice president Datuk Wilfred Lingam and organizing chairman Datuk Zahra Ismail