Turf war: Why are police not acting against gangs?

Amidst the recent spate of shootings and killings, police attitude towards ensuring public safety is puzzling.

GEORGE TOWN: The sudden surge in shootings and killings across the country suggests that our society could well be heading towards a wild wild west social landscape.

Recent happenings appear to indicate that Malaysians are trigger happy and turning violent, especially after the 13th General Election.

Police however have blamed the shootings and fatalities on gangland rivalries.

The law enforcers claim gangs like 036, 04, 08 are fighting for territorial control.

Police have produced past criminal records of these victims as if to justify the killings.

But not many among the public believe it.

Some concerned citizens here believe that the shootings and killings were carried out systematically by powerful hidden hands.

They claimed gangs would not engage themselves in an open warfare because it would only be detrimental to their interests.

Public view is that gangsters may attempt to kill each once or even twice just to send their message across.

But finally gangsters would rather sit at a table and clinch a truce for a win-win situation to safeguard mutual interests and benefits.

“Such shootings won’t go on and on,” opined some concerned citizens.

Why are victims Indians?

Another point raised was the gunmen’s precison. They hardly missed their victims.

A Chinese businessman pointedly noted that the incidents indicated that the gunmen were a specially trained ‘squad’ executing a systematic hit list.

He was in no doubt that the assailants were professional assassins.

“I doubt gangsters are sharpshooters,” he said.

Another emerging question is “why are majority of fatal victims ethnic Indians.”

“Why only Indians are being killed? Is it that Indians were the only gangsters in the country?” asked an Indian tea stall owner here.

Why are the victims not from other notorious criminal groups such as Tiga-Line or Mat Rempit?, he further queried.

The fact is these killings have caused anxiety, anger and frustration among people, especially Indians, who have absolutely lost confidence in the police force.

They concurred that the police should do more to stop these shootings, which are now happening right at their doorsteps.

They don’t believe that the enactment of another law similar to the now repealed Emergency Ordinance is the answer.

Puzzling police attitude
Meanwhile what remains puzzling is the fact that despite knowing that these shootings and killings are related to gangland rivalries, the police have made no arrest.

No one has yet been charged for these cold blooded murders.

And the common question asked by many is: “Why? If gangsters were killing each other and police knew their identities, then why are the police not taking radical steps to punish them?”

As far as the public are concerned they want the police to detain and charge gang leaders who are allegedly behind the killings.

They stressed that the police had a statutory duty to protect the public.