Few who have followed the reports on the abduction, rape and tragic murder of Canny Ong would not be unaffected. For some strange reason many of us have felt a sense of loss as if we had known this beautiful and filial young woman whose life was so barbarously and heinously snuffed out.

The police are to be commended for their quick arrest of a suspect. Let us hope he is indeed the guilty one and will be dealt with accordingly by the law.

In some uncanny way I am sure many of us also share her husband's grief. I can't imagine how he feels now, to have a treasured one snatched away from him like that. If strangers felt for her, how much more her parents, relatives and friends?

Like An Angry Malaysian I am sure the public demands to know why the police let the suspect slip away to commit his heinous crime. There are questions that need answers:

  • Didn't the police officers look inside the car to see a terrified woman?

  • When the suspect suddenly drove off, why did it not sufficiently arouse the suspicions of the police officers for them to give chase?

  • Why did they not radio for help?

  • What steps did the police take in sounding the alarm among other patrolling policemen that a woman had been abducted?

  • Was bribery involved?

  • Should it be mandatory for the police to require drivers to get out of their vehicles when they are being questioned?

    • All these questions point to one crucial factor. How effective are the police in preventing such a crime? What do police officers watch out for when they go out to question the drivers of parked cars? Surely one would have expected trained policemen to have been more alert.

    It appears a full inquiry is needed because the public must feel revulsion at the apparent slipshod standard of the two officers on duty.

    It is the only way to exonerate them, although I still find it hard to accept that the suspect got away so easily. I don't want to cast aspersions without knowing all the facts, but I hope the police understand that the public have a right to expect protection and better police standards.

    Punishing the policemen will not bring back a life. Any criticism of the police should not detract from the awful truth that it is the criminal, the perpetrator of barbaric acts that deserves society's condemnation and punishment.

    Capturing the suspect so quickly will not bring back a life. But improved standards and procedures may save more innocent lives. Canny Ong would not have died in vain if a potential victim can be saved in a similar situation in future.

    Something must be awfully wrong in the country. Violent crimes are reported every day.

    Even as I write this, I recall reading about a 14-year-old girl who was forcibly removed from a shopping centre, drugged and gang-raped. Not too long ago, I recall reading about a pretty young Malay engineer who was raped and murdered while being a lone passenger on a bus. It seems beauty has become a curse.

    The danger is the regularity of such criminal reports may lull the public into accepting them as a fact of life and thinking "it won't happen to me". It could be a fatal mistake.

    Are our women and children safe in public places anymore? Are there sex-starved maniacs waiting to pounce on some unsuspecting female? It may be simplistic to point the finger at the freely available porn in the community.

    The untimely death of a filial young woman who left husband to visit her sick father touches us all near and far. Let it be a wake up call to the police, the government and the people not to take the security of their loved ones lightly.

    It could happen to anyone's wife, daughter or sister. Surely the rapist-murderer must rank alongside terrorists in the community's list of dangerous criminals to be hounded and brought to justice.

    The sad truth is we don't know who he is and where he will strike next. But we can take some practical precautions and educate the public to be street-wise.

    It is time for the government and the police to do some serious soul-searching as to how well they are protecting vulnerable women and addressing violent sexual crimes. Don't let Canny's death be in vain.