Help to police own malls, Soi Lek tells operators
UPDATED @ 04:08:37 PM 16-08-2012
Dr Chua said it was impossible for the police to be omnipresent. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, August 16 — Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek today said it was unfair to rely solely on the police to curb rising crime in shopping complexes.
The MCA president said today the operators of shopping malls were also responsible for helping to deter crime on their premises by providing adequate and efficient security measures.
“The (mall) management have a duty to strengthen security features. To be fair, we cannot depend solely on police,” Dr Chua told reporters today after MCA’s central committee meeting here.
“The police cannot be everywhere; there is just no way,” he added.
Dr Chua said the committee was concerned about security issues in the country, “especially those of shopping malls”, and have directed Housing and Local Development Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung to look into shopping arcade by-laws to enforce the use of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in parking lots.
“I have told him to look into the laws that govern shopping malls. They already have guidelines on parking bays, so malls should also have guidelines on security personnel,” he said.
Chua also called for a boycott of shopping malls “that do not have enough security features to protect its customers”.
In light of recent crimes committed in shopping mall parking lots, including a robbery and attempted kidnap attempt, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh had last month urged shopping malls to upgrade their surveillance to aid police investigations.
He said the role of CCTV systems in tackling crime should not be dismissed as they could help reduce crime in shopping malls and surrounding areas.
On the public outcry over the rise in crime at shopping malls, he said the situation is not serious as there were only nine cases in the first four months of the year.
On August 10, the Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management (PPK) urged the police to conduct a security audit to verify the level of safety at shopping malls.
Its president, H. Chan, said although they agreed with the implementation of the Car Park League Table (CPLT) programme, the association also wanted regular meetings between the police and the respective shopping malls to arrive at the best method of improving safety at their car parks.
He said the CPLT alone was insufficient to ensure the safety of shoppers, and the PPK would like to encourage the police to work with the malls to ensure the safety of patrons.
