Curb vigilantism among rural villagers, says crime expert

A woman’s car was torched in Tasek Gelugor, Penang, on June 19 on the mistaken assumption that she was drunk when she collided with motorcyclists.

GEORGE TOWN: A criminologist has urged the police and government to be more involved with rural villagers as a means to cut down incidents of vigilantism.

The authorities should work with the local communities to tell them that vigilantism was not acceptable. “The police, the Unity Ministry and local officials should visit these villages and tell them that it is wrong to take the law into their own hands,” said criminologist P Sundramoorthy.

Last week, a woman’s car was torched after she was alleged to have been drunk when she collided with two motorcyclists in a rural part of Butterworth.

Sundramoorthy said vigilantism was not something new and common in rural areas. However, no one should take the law into their own hands.

Although the public had the right to carry out a citizens’ arrest, most people did not hand over the suspects to the police immediately, he said. News reports had shown that most suspected criminals were assaulted during a citizens’ arrest. This was not right, he said.

“In the case of the woman in Butterworth, she was lucky that she was not around, or else, her life could have been in danger.

“Vigilantism cannot be condoned. No community, regardless if you are from a kampung or the city, have the right to be a judge and executioner. Doing so would only make you a criminal yourself,” he said.

Last Thursday, the 56-year-old woman accidentally crashed her car into two motorcycles ridden by two teenage brothers, which left both of them with broken legs. They are reported to be stable at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.

The woman had swerved into the oncoming lane at Jalan Ara Kuda in Tasek Gelugor after a stray animal tried to cross, she told police.

The woman’s husband had then come to take her to the police station to lodge a report and left her car on the road shoulder. Two hours later, the car was torched to the ground by unknown people. The torching, however, was recorded by several people believed to be villagers.

Lawyer says the teenagers should be charged, too

Meanwhile, senior lawyer Bala Mahesan said police should also look into the other side of the incident, where two 14-year-old teens were riding motorcycles without a license.

He said while it was unfortunate that they had suffered from broken legs, police must act fairly by charging them, too.

“The parents of the teens ought to be reprimanded for allowing their children to ride their motorcycles illegally,” he said.

Police say two men have been arrested for causing mischief

Penang police chief Sahabudin Abd Manan said his department had a no-tolerance policy on vigilantism and vowed to investigate the matter thoroughly.

“It should not have happened. You cannot take the law into your own hands,” he told FMT.

Sahabudin also welcomed the idea of engaging with the village folk and would do so with the Butterworth district police chief soon.

He said investigators are looking for the culprits who torched the woman’s car and are closing in on a few suspects.

Sahabudin said two men aged 19 and 29 have been arrested and are being investigated for mischief by fire. The two men were described by police as “aggressive and unhappy” at the scene of the accident.

“One of these two men recorded the car burning and the other posted negative comments on the incident on Facebook,” he said.

Sahabudin said a 33-year-old man who posted pictures of the initial accident on Facebook was also arrested.

He said the man made a false claim that the accident was caused by drink driving and caused a lot of hate speech and racial slurs posted in the comments section. “This kind of posting is dangerous as it causes disharmony among our people. We will not compromise with this kind of post.” - FMT