Necessity is said to be the mother of all inventions. How would it be if we switched 'necessity' with 'desperation' instead? This I ask with regards to the various suggestions made to curb snatch theft.

The recent spate of snatch theft in the country prompted some concerned citizens to suggest that women stop lugging handbags and keep their money inside their bras instead. Will stashing money and wallets close to one's chest prevent a person from falling prey to snatch thieves? The answer is an obvious 'No'.

What, however, will help make the situation much safer is that if authorities get their act together and uphold the rules and regulations. Sadly, this has yet to happen. One only has to take a stroll in Kuala Lumpur to see how indifferent local authorities are in carrying out their duties. As much as it pains them to be condemned, the truth, however, cannot be obscured.

Walkways along busy roads like Jalan Sultan Mohamad have failed to provide for pedestrians. One glaring example is the walkway outside the Guardian pharmacy opposite Kota Raya. A spacious walkway which boasts of a City Hall signboard warning hawkers not to set up stalls along its path. But this is conveniently ignored.

And to make a mockery of its so-called seriousness in wanting to excel in its duties, City Hall enforcement officers who make their rounds in the area are either too pre-occupied with their workload or choose to close an eye to the hawkers' presence.

Inept councils

It puts the more conscientious Malaysians to shame when they read in the newspapers of the promises made by the authorities in wanting to make the streets safer. The authorities must first ensure that their "house is in order" before they venture out to eradicate bigger problems.

When local authorities do not perform their duties, what is the average Malaysian to make of that. Is it wrong for the layman to read between the lines and assume that some backdoor deal is taking place between local councils and street hawkers? Otherwise, how would councils like City Hall explain the fact that despite having wasted tax payers money by planting a sign barring hawkers from operating at walkways, the situation has yet to favour pedestrians?

What do enforcement officers really look for when they are out on the ground doing their rounds? It is the ineptness of the local councils that has led to the situation of snatch theft in the country exacerbating.

Why can't the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council promptly act when someone complains that a bus-stop near his/her house is devoid of any lighting? Why must its officials wait until a woman is killed or a directive is issued by the prime minister before rectifying the situation?

The crime rate in the country is on the rise and it is the public who has every reason to worry, for it is they who have to use the bus, train or walk down a dark street each day. The Klang Valley has recorded the highest number of snatch thefts in the country, with 4, 511 cases in the first four months of this year. The nationwide figures stand at 15, 800 cases last year, a jump from the 14, 480 reported in 2002.

Since our cries for a safer neighbourhood has gone unheard, i.e. lack of proper streetlights, we are left with no option but to deduce that somehow the citizens are being taken for granted. Two women recently lost their lives to snatch thieves, a man who heeded the government's call in making a citizen's arrest lost his life when he was mercilessly stabbed by a snatch thief. And what is the government doing about all this, apart from taking ad-hoc measures to address the symptoms of snatch thefts? Nothing, sadly.

Instead of wasting public money installing closed-circuit television cameras in isolated areas, it would reflect maturedly on the Housing and Local Government Ministry to instruct the local councils to buck up in ensuring residential areas, pedestrian bridges, bus stops and taxi stands are brightly lit.

Make it compulsory for developers to build walkways in their housing projects. Put a law in place which makes it a must that walkways be built for pedestrians' safety. Repair existing walkways that are in deplorable conditions.

'Tunnel vision'

When making suggestions to curb crime, all aspects should be looked into. What about the safety of people who wait at the various LRT stations for the feeder bus? Has the Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting taken the trouble to go around and observe how passenger-unfriendly these bus stops at LRT stations are?

The lights at these bus-stops do not work and come night, we only see the silhouettes of people sitting close together, their hearts skipping a beat each time a motorcycle comes their way. One such scenario can be witnessed at the LRT Station in Taman Paramount.

The public can only plead time and again for the authorities and the ministries to act swiftly when a crime happens. Unfortunately, the authorities and the ministries prefer not to use their thinking caps in drawing out a long term approaches towards tackling crime. They do what they know best and that is to pay lip service to the people.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar's recent statement in the newspapers that the police

wants to reduce the national crime rate by increasing the number of police personnel and patrol cars will not work if the mentality of the police personnel is not one of pro-active but that of taking things easy.

While more cops are good news, it is more safer roads that we need, which means roads built with pedestrians in mind. The authorities must without fear or favour take action against car owners, motorcyclists, hawkers and restaurant operators who occupy pedestrian walkways.

Also, the authorities must stop taking the "tunnel vision" approach in dealing with the snatch theft problems. Please do not solely focus on the Golden Triangle area i.e. Bukit Bintang and its neighbouring areas. What about Bangsar, Brickfields and Petaling Jaya, the every day routes which have a high movement of people?

While trying to assure foreigners that Malaysia is not a home to snatch thieves is good, the government must never forget that it is not the foreigners but the locals who fill up its coffers via their income tax. So do extend the same assurance to Malaysians as well.

JJ RAY started her career with a mainstream publication. A non-conformist, she soon saw the barriers that went up whenever, through her writing, she tried to make the world a home for one and all.