YOURSAY ‘The police have complete information on detainees including their fingerprints. It should be easy to establish if they are linked to current shootings.’

Cops: Gun crimes surge after EO repeal 'not coincidental'

CHKS: The repeal of Emergency Ordinance (EO) should not be seen as having a direct causal relationship with increased shootings. Why can't the police work harder by doing more patrolling? That's what the huge budget spent on patrol cars are for, right?

But in reality, I wonder how many percent of our police officers are actually actively doing patrolling work? Or are they merely confined to office jobs, and intimidating ordinary citizens?

In fact using the EO is the lazy way of dealing with criminals, without having to do the field work.

505 rakyat: Before you jump the gun, you need to establish in the recent shootings, how many are by former EO detainees. The police have complete information on the identity and particulars of detainees, including their fingerprints. Unless this is established, everyone’s just guessing.

Jedi_Who: Normal citizens seen as opposing the government will end up incarcerated as the police cannot be trusted. In must be balanced with an independent review of our police or the EO should be opposed. The sudden expose on serious crimes is just a lobbying tactic - otherwise these crimes would have been concealed.

The Mask: "Give us your trust and don't just complain. Assist us with investigations.”

You must be joking. As patriotic citizens, we are ever willing to assist, but look what happens to those who assist and whistleblowers?

Even sex blogger Alvin Tan's mother, who has nothing to do with her son's actions, has been harassed. Please regain your credibility first and also show us your impartiality.

Just me: Any Malaysian will be very concerned. Can the police handle crime in Malaysia? Do we need others more competent? Is there any professionalism left? They seem able to handle the recent public demonstrations well. Why not ordinary crime?

We are not asking for too much, right? Just stop the snatch thieves, the robbery rampage and the now daily shootings.

Ferdtan: What professionalism are the CID director Hadi Ho Abdullah and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi showing when they cannot agree on the number of currently arrested suspects being former EO detainees?

Hadi was more cautious when he said he would reveal the figure later. Not surprisingly, the politician, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, blared out that 90 percent of recent crimes in Selangor were masterminded by former EO detainees.

It is scary when a politician knows more than the police chief, especially a high official like the federal CID director. If that is the case, we should suggest that Hadi Ho be replaced by our home minister to fight crime which is on the increase, since he knows so much.

Anonymous #19098644: So what it means is that the other 70 percent are new to crime? Does it also mean that in other countries, it’s not the case that 30 percent or more are repeat offenders?

 In that case then we should never release any offenders? What kind of logic do this people who purportedly lead the security forces use? The decay of the police, the judiciary, the MACC, the civil service, can be traced to one source –Umno.

ODIN: Hadi Ho, if you are certain of your contention, why do you need to consider at a later date whether to release the information that shows the proportion of those arrested who were found to be former EO detainees?

You won’t be able to, right? And that's because you have simply cooked up your allegations. Either that or you need clearance from Pemandu.

We learn that in a letter dated 13 Oct, 2011 from then Federal Police CID Chief to MyWatch chief, R Sri Sanjeevan, who was recently shot, that it was stated that 17,882 cases of snatch thefts and robberies without firearms and 43,792 cases of burglaries and break-ins were recorded between January and October 2011.

But the official crime index published by the government reported only 7,324 cases and 30,200 cases respectively. Obviously, some people tried to put blinkers on us.

It is your job to use your skills and apply extant laws to identify, arrest and charge criminals. You do not look for the easy way out by having the EO reinstated.

Anonymous #14329559: Are you telling us before the repeal of the EO there were fewer gun crimes?

Or are you guys just playing it up now because you want to bring back the EO? The police cover up almost anything at their discretion but now suddenly we are seeing all these gun crimes. Get real here.

We are not dumb. This is being blown up and I think it is obvious that they want to bring back the EO. But its repercussions are not limited to gun crimes.

Tuckfook: If police investigations are complete and there’s substantial evidence, then these criminals can be put away.

If a suspect is 'stopped' with the help of the EO, it is the same as being convicted without evidence. This allows innocent 'suspects' to be punished. Are the police trying to say that it would like to put away 'suspects' without conclusive evidence?

It is also well known that EO detainees carry out their activities as normal,  albeit a little inconvenienced.

Penang Mari-loh: Why are there so many firearms in the country nowadays? What's happening to our border security? Malaysia is fast becoming the wild, wild east.

Faz: What the police are offering are excuses to re-enact the EO but without concrete evidence or reasons. When cornered, Hadi Ho was not prepared to show the 'statistical truth', hence the ‘later date’ excuse.

The only thing that the police are prepared for, is to harass, investigate and detain those who oppose Umno-BN government especially the politicians and the NGOs.

YUNoAnon: If you have seized more firearms recently, that is good work by your team. But before you try to blame the EO repeal, get the facts. Conjecture will make appear you stupid in front of the public.

There could be so many possible reasons why guns are being smuggled in. Suggest you tighten security around our borders. So we don't have repeat cases like people crossing the sea to invade our country.

Good men: Trust the police? That’s the biggest joke ever! A police force that holds the record for deaths in custody, and totally against the setting up of an IPCMC?

If you believe you have a good reputation to protect then you would give you full support for an independent body to monitor the police.

But because you still want to be 'Polis Raja Di Malaysia" rather than ‘Polis Diraja Malaysia’, you can never gain the public’s trust.

Damntlwbn: I bet to my last penny, the first person they are going to detain under EO (if they get it back) will be an opposition member - mark my words. They want this EO to ensure the Umno throne is sealed for GE14.

They know how risky GE14 is even if they already have the EC to slice the electoral pie up for them. This is just double assurance.

Aries46: The police need to be equipped with the necessary logistics and laws to eliminate crime and apprehend criminals provided that these facilities are not turned on our own law-abiding citizens. This has been happening with some of the draconian internal security, emergency and sedition laws.

These laws are totally being abused by the ruling regime which had used them on the Bersih, candlelight vigil participants, the opposition, environment  activists and other NGOs.

In fact the abuses have gone to the extent that these laws are turned on any form of protest deemed unfavorable to the ruling regime.

It is not that Malaysians want to deny badly needed anti-crime legislation but can the enforcement authorities guarantee that these laws will be strictly confined to serious crimes and not used against those perceived to be unfriendly to the ruling regime?

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