Business operators laud move to amend Act
KUALA LUMPUR: Business operatorswelcomethe proposedamendments to the Prevention of Crime Act which will allow detention without trial.
Food stall owner Khairudin Mat Rosli ( pic) said while everyone has the right to freedom, criminals must be dealt with accordingly.
He agreed with the country having more stringent laws to deal with people who have committed dangerous crimes like armed robbery or causing harm.
“While it (the Act) targets more dangerous criminals, it is also a deterrent for petty criminals. When the big fish is nabbed, this leaves them without their leaders,” he said.
He said he had seen his share of thefts and robberies but only recently had he seen criminals using guns and parang brazenly.
The Parliament had tabled a Bill to amend the Act to allow a person to be detained without being charged or tried for up to two years.
To be considered for detention, he must have committed two or more serious offences and the inquiry report must have sufficient evidence to support the findings.
Pharmacist Wong Yow Fui said it would make people safer to have laws to deal with crime pre-emptively.
He said that prevention is better than cure and that was why he had spent over RM30,000 to install security measures such as close-circuit television cameras, anti-theft sensors and alarm system in his pharmacy.
He added that it was the small-time criminals like shoplifters who consistently posed threat to businesses.
A worker at a goldsmith, who only wanted to be known as Leong, said he felt safe these days.
He attributed this to more police patrols and the installation of a bullet proof glass at the shop.