Crisis And Victory

Klang may be a booming town however, of late, its reputation has been tainted as a place saddled with gangsters and a high number of crime cases. Snatch theft, burglary, mugging and car-jacking cases seem to be occuring often to the extent residents prefer being indoors just to be on the safe side. StarMetro talks to some of the victims and also to the authorities to examine the problem and what is being done to deal with it. 

First incident CHINESE New Year (CNY) will never be the same for Hazel and her family.  

 

Eye on crime: One of the six CCTV cameras has been installed at the Titian Kota pedestrian bridge.

“My aunt and her family joined us in Bukit Tinggi from Seremban to celebrate the festivities,'' said Hazel.  

“Then, they decided to visit a relative in Teluk Pulai,'' said the 40-year-old teacher. “My uncle and aunt went in one car while their children travelled in another.  

“At about 7pm, my uncle dropped my aunt off at the gate and went on to park the car a little distance away.'' 

But, after he did, he turned back to see his wife sprawled on the ground, bleeding from slash wounds on her arm. She kept telling him that she’d been robbed before passing out. 

“My aunt died due to excessive haemorrhage,'' said Hazel.  

The uncle couldn’t eat or sleep for days. He has since left Seremban and is staying with a son in Singapore.  

My aunt's family wanted justice done. But, nobody saw her attacker. They didn't even know if there were one or more perpetrators. But, they wanted to do something - maybe even create awareness of the high crime rate in Klang. 

The family went on a signature campaign, targeting 1,000 names. They got 12,000 instead.  

“We’re angry because our aunt’s life was taken away so suddenly and we could do nothing about it,'' said Hazel. “We want the authorities to do something.''  

Second incident 

What should have been a routine daily jog turned into a nightmare for Karen, 51, when her gold chain was snatched in an incident about five years ago. 

“I normally jog alone in the evening around the Jalan Istana area, nearby Klang Club and Istana Alam Shah. 

“One day, two guys on a motorbike suddenly stopped, and the passenger grabbed my chain. 

“I screamed for help, but the guy slapped me so hard that I fell down and broke my teeth,” said the office administrator who was staying in Taman Teluk Pulai then. 

“I managed to get to a nearby dentist to stop the bleeding in my mouth. I also sustained bruises.” 

She made a police report but there were no follow-ups. 

 

For public safety: MPK has installed and is currently monitoring six CCTV cameras in several crime-prone areas, including the Klang express bus/taxi station (left) and Plaza MPK (right).

“I want the police to create a safer environment for people. I want them to get something done rather than say ‘OK, I'll look into it’.” 

Third incident 

“Talk to anyone in Klang and you will know of somebody who's been robbed or knows somebody who's experienced it,” said Sheryl, who knows of many break-ins and snatch thefts in her housing area, while her family members have either been robbed or attacked. 

“Late last year, my neighbour’s house was ransacked and they lost about RM700 worth of valuables,” said the Taman Maznah resident. 

“We also hear of housewives and neighbours who go out for walks or grocery shopping having their chains and handbags snatched. 

“I send my two teenage children to a babysitter, for fear that they may be harmed when they’re alone at home,” said Sheryl, 45. 

Her nephew, Simon, was twice robbed by teenage motorcycle gangs within a span of two weeks when he was a Form Two student. 

“In the first incident, he was walking with a friend near Panmour Villa, Taman Palm Grove, when they heard a motorbike approaching,” said Simon's mother Ashley. 

“They tried to run away but had their paths blocked. The robbers slapped them and demanded for their handphones and cash. 

 

No ordinary streetlight: A streetlight mounted with a CCTV at the Klang express bus/taxi station.

“In the second incident, Simon was walking to his tuition class with another friend, when they were by two teenagers riding a motorbike. 

“The robbers searched their bodies but could only find RM10,” said Ashley, 51. 

“Since then, Simon is too scared to walk around his school and tuition area, and asked me to send him to all his tuition classes.” 

“My car was broken into while I was jogging somewhere near Persiaran Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, opposite the Klang General Hospital,” said Sheryl's sister Abby. 

“I parked my car at the side of the road. By the time I got back, CD player and wallet were stolen.” 

The 52-year-old bank clerk has also had a Molotov cocktail bottle thrown into her house in Taman Palm Grove three years ago. 

“It happened around 4am. Everyone was sleeping, but I was woken up by my daughter.  

“I heard the sound of a motorbike, saw a fireball, followed by an explosion. My daughter and I screamed, and my husband and our neighbours managed to put the fire out. 

“I was lucky I had my laundry hanging outside my window, otherwise the bottle would've gone through it. 

“Nobody was hurt, but our laundry was burnt and car damaged,” said Abby. 

“In my more than 20 years in Klang, the crime level is increasing but the presence of the police is not,” said Sheryl. 

“We want more action from the police. Rather than just taking reports and filing them, they should solve cases so the crime rate will go down. 

“There are rumours that the police is involved in some syndicate. Otherwise, why would it take them so long to come to the scene of crime or follow up on cases?”  

 

• Names have been changed to protect sources’ identities