Sarawak DAP chairperson Wong Ho Leng has urged the Special Commission on the Police to investigate the rise in violent crime cases in Sibu and the police's failure to curb them.

According to Wong, residents have been alarmed by a spate of serious crime cases over the past months ranging from murders to robberies.

"The impression most people now seem to have is that there is a perilous state of affairs and it is alarming," he said.

Many of the incidents took place within the past two-and-a-half months after the parliamentary elections.

The latest was the brutal killing of a 40-year-old man in his house in Lane 19, Permai Timur in the town by a group of 10 men, believed to be armed with long knives, as police found five scabbards left at the murder scene.

Man arrested

Sibu district deputy police chief Supt Han Hipeni was quoted by a local newspaper as saying that police were still trying to establish the motive(s) for the killing.

The brutish nature of the killing, as depicted in pictures published in Chinese newspapers, shocked the Sibu community.

Han indicated that there could be possible links to debts or car theft activities or both. A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder.

Wong told malaysiakini that local residents had expressed not only their concern but also disappointment with the apparent failure of the Barisan Nasional, so soon after their resounding victory in the general election to guarantee their safety.

Wong said Bukit Aman CID Director Musa Hassan was 'quite right' in saying that one of the causes for the present state of affairs in Sibu was the inaction of the local police.

"It's probably unfair, however, to point an accusing finger only at the Sibu police. It's happening everywhere. It may be due to a lack of manpower."

He said Bukit Aman should come in and beef up security in Sibu to ensure law and order.

'There is a perilous state of affairs. People are said to be living in fear. When they want to go out, they have to think twice," Wong added.

Left behind

Meanwhile, a private medical practitioner in Sibu opined that the town has been left far behind in areas of economic development and progress.

"There are few employment opportunities and many of the brightest and fittest have moved to Kuching and elsewhere to roost," he said.

Not many industries or commercial houses opened up in Sibu and as they did in Kuching, Bintulu and Miri.

"Sibu has truly been bypassed in most areas of development. But because of the timber trade, only those involved in it remain,' he added.

The doctor who asked not to be identified said committing crimes probably became a means of livelihood for idle youths who fed on the businesses that catered for the entertainment of timber workers.

Poor policing could also lead to the growth of gangsterism until it reached a point where it becomes entrenched and difficult to control, he said.