Allow me to respond to Yiat Fong's Give snatch thieves their own medicine . I want to begin by saying that the writer contradicted himself in his first paragraph - that being law-abiding and peace-loving, we should mete out mob justice and kill villainous snatch thieves with kicks and whacks on the street. How does that work out?

Law-abiding and peace-loving citizens should expect others, and more importantly themselves, not to resort to criminal behaviour. Killing is wrong, and those that were party to the death of that snatch thief should be charged in court (if our system has any integrity left in it).

Snatch thieves are not local to Malaysia alone. Why do they do it? One of the reason is poverty. That is not to excuse the behaviour, though it shows that there is real urban poverty unchecked by the government of the day.

There are many young men and women who dribble into the city without platforms available for them to sort their lives out. You get a job in a local factory, you live a life that is now urban and distant from your estate or kampung, and when the factory moves to China you are left uprooted.

Unwilling to move back and unable to meet the cost of living in the big city, desperation leads many astray. That is not to say all snatch thieves start that way, or have reasonable causes for their acts. But wanting to tackle complex social problems emanating from socio-economic structural frustrations requires sophisticated rationale.

We could do with counseling for all unemployed youths in the Klang Valley. And I do not mean static and prescriptive counseling that is endemic in all government initiatives thus far. Where an elder tells the recalcitrant young man (they all are in the eyes of the elder) that he needs to get his act together, nothing is achieved.

Someone needs to listen to the woes of our lads on the street and ensure sensitivity when mapping out a future for these boys. Everyone can reclaim or sustain their decency if those around them care enough to help them along the way.

A standard answer in any police station to snatch thief victims is 'it happens'. I suppose it does, and I suppose the police do not actively promote snatch thievery, but they should leave the philosophising to university professors, and get out there and investigate.

Most criminals would likely develop patterns since there is security in the knowledge that a method works. The same street or same ammo, and most importantly, a reliable escape route. That is why, we form a consensus easily on where the thefts often happen. Because they happen in the same place and in the same manner so many times.

Most victims only recollect partial details of plate numbers or other descriptions, but if all victims' testimonies is collated then something can be made out of it. Talking to owners of establishments near these incidents can help police have a finer picture of the incidents, and how to map a response or plan an arrest.

The answer could be closer to a lack of initiative. Do those road blocks in Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur at 3am on a Sunday morning supposedly contribute better to our personal welfare than policemen strolling around the trouble spots in plainclothes at three in the afternoon on a Tuesday?

The answer may not be more cops, but more cops that care and apply policing skills on the job. Our cops generally do not care, and no inspector-general of police is brought to task for this unless of course when he punches an ex-deputy prime minister in an interrogation exercise.

And then there is practical education. Most victims are women. Women because they are perceived to be easy targets. We can reduce this perception. Cash is the best thing a snatch thief can find in a handbag. Adopting a method of having limited valuables in handbags can be a huge disincentive, and if it becomes cultural, will deter snatch thieves.

And knowing that you have not too much at stake in the bag would also ensure that middle-aged ladies do not hold on to their bags while being dragged down the street by a person on a motorcycle.

The Malaysian government can do its bit too. Because documents like MyKads and passports are expensive, prohibitive or cumbersome to replace and require long waiting periods, many people doggedly stave off grabs because of the trouble they would go through without their documents. How about sorting that out, prime minister?

Workplaces can help by signing on and assisting in personal safety and awareness courses. By arming possible victims with practical knowledge and avenues to counseling, empowerment is enhanced.

Knowledge like keeping your bags on the side of your body away from the road when on sidewalks is one. And preparing victims on what to look out for when accosted helps when they recount details to the police to expedite investigations.

Public involvement is crime prevention is minimal. Snatch thieves often operate in very public places and get away because no one except the victim cares. We as a people should assist quickly and decisively anyone who is being robbed.

Citizens' arrests are fine, as long as retribution is not carried out arbitrarily by merry vigilantes. It is the lack of communalism and the belief on the part of the snatch thief that no one will help the victim that gives rise to the scourge.

Many people I know would chastise their sons and daughters if they found out they put themselves in harms way to help strangers. They would say: 'That is not your problem-lah, mind your own business.'

And that is what everyone is doing - minding their own business as snatch thieves bully us not unlike how eagles swoop down intermittently and freely to grab a prey.

At the end of it all, snatch thieves operate on opportunity, destitution and apathy. As those things exist in copious amounts, the story will always be the same. Police, public and victims all have to play a role to route these culprits off the roads and into the hands of the law.

Perhaps it is time for a more real look at crime in Malaysia.