To all those who have recently been a victim (in some cases, more than once) of snatch theft, burglary, robbery and so on, the display of the FRU (Federal Reserve Unit, sometimes called 'riot police') in action only serves to make them feel it was a waste of resources.

Where were they when there was the need to protect the public?

Against political opponents of the party in power and ordinary protesters, the use of chemical-laced water cannons was without doubt high-handedness and overkill. Such tactics should be used only when there is a likely breakdown in public order like riots. If they want to show their might, they should do so when faced with those burly Africans who resist arrest, and not fellow Malaysians out to protest on certain issues which are mostly ignored by the mainstream press. To Mr Nice Guy, I would say, "It is not very nice, is it?"

Few days ago, I noticed one FRU man helping to control traffic at the Jalan Duta roundabout in KL. His lack of experience showed and some motorists took advantage by honking him to their advantage. The use of FRU men for general police duties is commendable and I wonder why they have not been done before. In fact, I would suggest that they be deployed in hot spots of robberies and snatch thefts. Their presence would certainly be a deterrent.

Lately, there are more policemen in patrol, after many complaints about their lack of presence. However, most of the time, they are either in pairs, or even a group of three or four. If it is acknowledged that there is indeed a shortage of police personnel, I would think it is more sensible to spread them thinly to cover a larger area. As it is, they appear to be 'Jalan jalan, cari makan' or 'Jalan jalan, makan angin'.

Once, in Taiping, in front of The Store, I was waiting in a car when two policemen urged me to drive on. Just one block away, I witnessed some youths in a gang fight! The same group was near my car earlier and had been playing cat-and-mouse with the police on foot patrol!

Yet, with the election soon, the police seems more interested in bullying opposition to ensure another landslide victory for BN. It was recently highlighted in the press that the opposition tends to overstate their attendance numbers. While it could be true, the reason is simple, the police has been successful in putting fear into opposition supporters. Then BN can unashamedly claim that the opposition has fewer supporters. With the forthcoming election, the truth is out there. Just be fair.