Lee lauds use of communication technology in combating crimes
SIBU: Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation ( MCPF) lauds the use of modern communication technology to fight crime, saying information can be speedily disseminated to alert the people and the relevant authorities for prompt action.
MCPF senior vice- chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said this is the trend these days in the fight against crime.
He highlighted that many people have started a chat group, where they passed all crime prevention information through the WhatsApp group to keep people informed.
“I think it is very relevant today because it is effective in term of passing fast information and sharing of things like photographs. People can easily take photographs with their mobile phones and then, WhatsApp to their friends to alert others.
“At the same time, if some crime has occurred, they can immediately use the technology through their smart phones and pass the information to the relevant authorities. In fact, they are able to provide all the important details such as time, place and others on the crime that has taken place.
“They can take photographs and may be as later, even use as evidence against the criminal,” Lee told The Borneo Post yesterday.
“This is the in-thing now – this technology can be used as a means to really fight against crime – it is one way to reach out to many people with speed to inform them what crime has taken place. Among others, it can be used to record the crime scene,” he added.
He was commenting on Bernama article pertaining to the use of communications technology like the WhatsApp messenger, which enabled the formation of chat groups, had become one of the latest measures to combat crime such as house break-ins, snatch thefts and car thefts.
The move was seen to be effective, especially in crimeprone housing areas and parks, besides the conventional means such as area patrols by the police and residents’ associations, and the setting up of police beats.
It cited the experience of the Taman Keramat AU2, for example, where the residents shared information to prevent house break-ins through WhatsApp should be replicated by other residential communities in fighting crime.
AU2 Security and Community Movement chief, Ismail Mohd Rashid, 46, reportedly said the idea came about after hearing residents lamenting about the frequent house break-in incidents in the area over the last number of years.
Ismail was further quoted as saying he and some residents started forming their WhatsApp group called ‘ Keselamatan AU2’ (AU2 Security) in 2015, now comprising hundreds from the neighbourhood, with police assistance in monitoring the area.
On this, Lee noted: “As I said, it is modern technology and being put into very good use in the fight against crime.”