Quite scary
It was shocking to see the picture of the young man dressed in a red T-shirt and blue jeans lying motionless on the stairs of Marina Mall. What a loss of life! What a loss of youth! My deepest condolences go to his mother and family.
This is the second shocking and futile murder since the start of the year after the death of the young dentist in Avenues whose life perished over a trivial dispute-a parking lot.
Murders happen in many big cities and even in villages. In Kuwait, however, we are not used to this kind of violence. Kuwait was known as a quiet and safe city. You could walk around wearing expensive jewellery or carrying a large bag of money and you would not be bothered. Unfortunately, in the last couple of years, Kuwait has stopped being the tranquil city I used to boast about. Kuwait has changed. Today, there is not much security on the streets. The population has increased dramatically. More than 3.5 million people from different walks of life live here now. There has been an erosion of values. The society is no longer traditional and conservative. Modern technology has changed the youth. The mentality of the young people also has changed.
Actually, the blame for the rise in crimes falls on both - the society and the government. The government is expected to protect the society, that is why it is blamed first. I am not demanding the Minister of Interior to assign police protection to every resident. Many times I wonder where is the police? Why don’t we see them in big malls, such as Marina Mall and Avenues, especially on weekends? The young doctor was killed in a weekend attack and so was the latest victim Al-Enezi.
Every year we see a parade of cadets graduating from the Police Academy in Kuwait, but we never see them walking around in the markets, shops or on the streets after their graduation.
As I have mentioned before, I lived in London for quite some time. There, I used to see two young officers strolling inside the high street. Why can’t this be done in Kuwait? I know it will not stop crimes but it will instill confidence among the people who are shopping. I feel safer when I see a young policeman or a police woman walking up and down. I do not think that would cost the police here any money.
After the death of the young doctor in Avenues we noticed increased police presence for a month or two. It made people more relaxed. Then the security disappeared. How come poorer countries can install security systems that screen those who enter the malls and why we cannot do this in Kuwait?
When Major General Abdulfattah Al-Ali started to streamline the traffic, we saw police patrol on every street. There were police checkpoints even in odd places with no traffic. If you really mean it then it is possible to have police patrolling near big malls and souqs in Kuwait. Why can’t Kuwait invest in installing metal detectors at the entrances of malls where young people gather?
I am sure they can work out a way for shops and malls to pay for the safety of people if the government does not want to be burdened with the finances.
Like I said before, we always act when a tragedy strikes or something serious happens. These incidents should make us think that it is not only the police that is to be blamed. Families and the education system are also to be blamed. We are losing our values and traditions. And this is quite scary.