Twenty units of VMS (Digital Electronic Displays) boards to informs KL motorists of the traffic situation in the city are not functioning due to theft of copper cables, so says Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

A few months ago, a young man was held at knife-point for a mere RM12 and a hand phone, said news reports. Abused by ‘jaga kereta boys’ menace, screamed the newspaper.

Snatch theft victim dies from injuries, woman is hurt in a smash-and-grab at a traffic intersection, manhole covers stolen from Putrajaya, the list is far too long.

When are the home minister and the police going to start taking public order and security seriously? When it gets past the point of no return? I’d venture we were already here.

Criminals act with impunity with no fear of reprisal as there’s obviously no fear or respect for the capabilities of law enforcement in this country. They don’t think they’re ever going to get caught and if anecdotal evidence is anything to go by, that belief is well-founded.

The police have to show that they are there, they are efficient, that criminals should think there is a greater probability of getting caught and being taken to task for their actions then not. Then and only then will you have the deterrent the police are meant to be.

If not, then they will be viewed as a cuckolded ineffectual arm of the government, something which in all probability has already happened.

Back in 2007, the government had announced that the police force would get a pay rise between nine and a whopping 42 percent. This ostensibly to better their lot in life and by doing so to increase their levels of service and efficiency.

But every available statistic points to crime on the uptrend since that pay rise. Whither the result? Something has to be done.

With crime spiraling upwards, the people are having to resort to private security companies to watch over them and their own. This in itself is a slap in the face to the government, that it cannot even be expected to provide a simple sense of security to it’s people, that they may rest easy in their homes. Wake up and start doing something.