Buck up or quit, senior cop told

MyWatch wants A Thaiveegan to take the issue of Indian gangsterism seriously instead of being just a 'ceremonial police officer'.

PETALING JAYA: With gangsterism among the Indian community on the rise, crime watchdog MyWatch has called on Selangor deputy police chief A Thaiveegan to either buck up and do his job, or quit.

According to MyWatch chief R Sri Sanjeevan, Thaiveegan was handpicked by former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan to tackle Indian gangsterism issues, and is currently one of the most senior Indian police officers in the force.

But the daily reports of murder, break-ins and gang fights among Indians have left Sanjeevan with one question: “What has Thaiveegan been doing?”

“Thaiveegan claims that he is engaging with the community, that he is going to the ground and tackling gangsterism head-on, but that’s only lip service,” he told FMT in a recent interview.

“Anyone can go around shaking hands with people, posing for the camera. But he failed big time in addressing the issue of gangsterism,” he added.

Sanjeevan stressed that although gangsterism occurred among all races, there was no denying that it had reached a “worrying stage” among Indians.

He said while he did not have any figures to back up his claim, he knew it to be true based on what he had seen, as well as what others had reported to him.

“I’ve seen it with my own eyes: Indian gang members waiting outside the school gates to recruit Indian boys. They train them from young, and the police have done nothing to stop this,” he said.

As such, Sanjeevan said, although Thaiveegan was undoubtedly responsible for all of Selangor, as an Indian the latter should go the extra mile to resolve the issue afflicting members of his own race.

“An Indian police officer would be more effective in tackling gangsterism among Indians because they understand the culture, the ethnicity and the background,” he added.

He suggested that rather than rounding up Indian gang members and simply throwing them behind bars, Thaiveegan should focus on the process of rehabilitation and education.

“Indian gang members released from prison are usually labelled as crooks and sidelined by society. Whenever a crime occurs, the police immediately suspect them, even without any proof.

“With such a stigma hanging over their heads, this instigates them to re-enter crime ,” Sanjeevan pointed out.

Offer them jobs

He suggested that Thaiveegan cooperate with corporate companies to offer Indian gang members proper jobs that could tempt them away from crime and provide them with a new lease on life.

“I have done that before with the Astivaaram Foundation, and it worked. But there’s a limit to how many people I can personally help,” said Sanjeevan.

He also said MyWatch was eager to help Thaiveegan in resolving the issue of Indian gangsterism.

But when asked whether he had tried to engage with Thaiveegan before this, Sanjeevan said: “He doesn’t pick up his phone, so how can I engage with him?”

“When I called him around two weeks ago, he said: “‘I’m busy, I’ll call you back’. But he never did.”

Sanjeevan also said he had not read Thaiveegan’s book “Menjana Minda Remaja Menuju Kejayaan” (Generating the Minds of the Youth Towards Success) which was released a few months ago.

However, he said he would check it out.

According to media reports, the book details Thaiveegan’s “humble beginnings growing up in Ipoh, Perak, to the post of Senior Assistant Commissioner at the Selangor Police Contingent.”

Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar had reportedly said he was impressed with Thaiveegan’s efforts to pen his experiences to inspire young people.