It is funny (well, not really) that as Malaysians, we go by our daily lives being subjected to fear of criminal elements surrounding us.

What this means is that we are constantly looking behind our backs in everything we do, from going to the ATM at night, to walking home through the park, to the thought of leaving our children unattended in public for just a few seconds, to driving alone at night, to leaving our handphones on the table at the mamak stall, and even to just simply taking out our wallets in public. We are just constantly on the edge.

So we wonder, how is it that in Malaysia, crime has become such a norm, and no more an exception nowadays?

It is sad that while some countries take pride in being called ‘the safest country in the world’, we on the other hand are simply not doing enough to be anywhere near ‘a safe country’, in fact, dare I say, we are deteriorating exponentially.

In the latest Budget 2015 unveiled recently, it was stated that, to increase the level of safety and public order as well as national security, RM17.7 billion is allocated to the Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM) while RM9.1 billion, to the Polis Di Raja Malaysia (PDRM). A sum of RM804 million is also allocated to the Maritime Enforcement Agency Malaysia to strengthen maritime enforcement.

As lay persons, we wonder to ourselves: what does this even mean? Are we at war with anyone to justify the government to allocate such exorbitant sums of money on national security? Why is it that the government is focusing so much on treating the nation as being ‘crime infested’ that the only way to overcome this ‘infestation’ is to bring in more police personnel?

The reason we ask ourselves this question is because at the back of our minds, we have already come to realize and question: is this going to carry on year in year out? Will there never be an end to crime in Malaysia, or do we just have to accept it as a part of our Malaysian life as a norm, and just live with it, (like the haze) and hope every year that we have more and more police personnel in our neighbourhood? When will the time come when crime, will be viewed as an exception is Malaysia, and not as norm?

At this stage, we can see clearly that when it comes to combatting crime, the saying ‘fight fire with fire’ is not necessarily the only approach. While we appreciate the presence of police personnel in making us feel safe, there must be a better way tackling crime by nipping it in the bud.

For this, we must address the root causes of this problem. We cannot ignore the root causes and only try to constantly combat it as and when it arises.

It is simplistic to believe that crime in Malaysia is due to just the lack of police presence. In order for a real solution to the worsening crime situation, a holistic approach must be taken by engaging all aspects of society, from the police force, to the Education Ministry and down to the city planners.”

As we all know, led by the Home Affairs Ministry, Reducing Crime (as one of the National Key Results Area (NKRA) is focused on every aspect of crime fighting beginning from prevention, early detection, arrests, court trial, prison system and rehabilitation process.

The word ‘beginning’ is of utmost importance. While it seems that there is recognition and acknowledgment by our government of the fact that prevention and early detection are key and vital issues to be addressed in reducing crime, yet, somehow, as stated earlier in the Budget 2015, we see that more focus is put on purchasing planes and navy ships (as if we are at war externally), when there is much work to be done internally, in sociological, criminological and cultural aspects.

We all know that one of the root causes of crime (apart from systematic corruption which is greed) is poverty. Economic imbalance within classes of citizens is another.

More efforts must be made to seek the consultation of experts from abroad and within, in tackling the root causes of crime. If this requires allocation from the government, then so be it. The government cannot continue to take the position that it always knows what it is doing in reducing crime, when clearly it doesn’t.

We can only hope that the government will continue to give more focus on these important matters, and ultimately make more allocation for it. Failure to pay attention to these matters, and address them appropriately, would ultimately lead this country into becoming a police state where we would not be able to walk safely anywhere inside our country without the presence of the police. This would inevitably affect the economy and our quality of life as a whole.

The government must ensure that it takes all necessary efforts to ensure that crime, eventually, becomes an exception, and not a norm in Malaysia.