Keeping ahead of criminals

Are our enforcement agencies able to keep ahead of criminals in terms of intelligence, sophistication, technology, knowledge and manpower?

COMMENT

By TK Chua

I am in no position to comment specifically on the work of enforcement agencies. I just wish to highlight the blatant crimes, both hard-core and white collar, being committed and how they could affect all of us.

One example is the crime scene at a Johor Bahru petrol station recently portrayed in a video. It was so blatant and deliberate, as though we were a lawless country. It was as if the criminals could do anything and were not afraid of anything.

Before this, we had a deputy public prosecutor who was kidnapped in broad daylight and subsequently found dead. We had a pastor who was kidnapped, again in broad daylight, and until today his fate remains unknown. We have human trafficking and mass graves found in Kedah, the mystery of which has remained unresolved.

I think events like this are not just about money from tourism being affected. Malaysia is not supposed to be like this. We are no one-time Philippines, neither are we Latin America.

In the white-collar crime category, we have endless conning schemes, in addition to corruption and abuse of power in the government, GLCs and the corporate sector.

Most recently, I read a report on Felda “signing off” its land holdings on Jalan Semarak worth more than RM250 million to a third party. How this could ever happen is beyond me. Seriously, did Felda appoint people to create scandals or did it appoint people to create value? How can Felda ever enhance its value to the settlers if problems keep sprouting up like mushrooms?

Then I heard Bank Negara Malaysia is now looking at cryptocurrency, which I think is most timely. But before we go there, have we tackled the rampant conning schemes going on in our midst? The last I read, another group of 200 individuals have been conned of RM12 million through various devious investment schemes.

This is not forgetting the fake baby milk formula, adulterated medicines, and cosmetic products containing poisons found in our marketplace. All this is just so depraved and immoral.

Crimes are getting more blatant, deranged and sophisticated. Sometimes I wonder if our regulating and enforcement agencies are able to get ahead of the criminals in terms of intelligence, sophistication, technology, knowledge and manpower.

Maybe the police, immigration, MACC, BNM and Security Commission should do some tests on their personnel. Sometimes it is nice to see them in elaborate uniforms, but it is knowledge and integrity that will decide if the war against crime is lost or won.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.