I wish to comment on the current controversy of what is perceived as Malaysian police heavy handedness when dealing with criminal gangs. Encounters between criminal gangs and the police over the past year have resulted in total fatalities on the side of the alleged criminals.

The general consensus in Malaysia is why should we be merciful with criminals and if they are all killed, so much the better. I beg to differ.

I support better rights for criminals not because I love criminals but because I do not want to see an escalation in the degree of ruthlessness in the way they operate. If criminal gangs suspect that police prefer to execute criminals instead of arresting them (even if this is not true), they will simply become more ruthless and more determined to escape.

Obviously and logically, the next step would be the taking of hostages. Presently, bank robbers and robbers who break into residential houses tend to tie up their victims and make their getaway in a car.

When they are cornered by the police, a firefight would ensue and all the robbers would be killed. If this keeps happening, robbers will wisen up and take a hostage with them to complicate police action.

It is important to note that criminals do expect that one day they will be arrested and jailed. However, if they expect to be shot dead instead of being arrested, the stakes are higher and they will take more precautions in the future.

Thus this will be the future dilemma - how will the police act if criminal gangs start taking hostages with them? If the criminals shoot at the police by hiding behind hostages, do you shoot the hostages dead as well?

Perhaps the police should start setting up a sniper (sharpshooter) unit and in the future attempt to shoot only criminals actually brandishing a gun and not just because they are in the company of those with firearms.

Also, perhaps it would be better to shoot criminals in the hands and legs. The less criminals who die in police shootouts and in police custody, the better it is.

Hopefully, by prosecuting and jailing alleged criminals instead of executing them, these criminals will not start taking hostages and endanger the lives of their victims as well.