Kuching City South Mayor Chan Seng Khai has joined the chorus of Malaysians in calling for harsher penalties against snatch thieves as a move to curb the crime.

Snatch theft cases, as highlighted by the media, are now increasing and becoming a serious community problem, he said.

"Often the weaker sex and elderly were the targets and they not only suffered from the trauma but also injuries and sometime deaths," Chan who is also the state assemblyperson for Batu Lintang told the current sitting of the assembly.

According to police statistics, Sarawak ranked sixth in terms of the number of reported snatch theft cases by motor-cycle in four months (January-April 2004), after Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor, Penang and Perak.

There were 2.1 cases reported daily in Sarawak compared with Kuala Lumpur's 9.5 cases reported daily.

Cases in Sarawak are particularly rampant in Kuching and Sibu.

Chan also called for more police personnel to patrol busy areas in Kuching, in particular during weekends and holidays.

The mere presence of a policeman in a busy street will deter anyone from committing petty crimes like snatching, the mayor said.

Study causes

Meanwhile, a Kuching private medical practitioner Dr Tony Lau said unemployment, illicit drugs and the presence of large numbers of foreign workers are some of the reasons behind the spate of rising snatch thefts in major cities and towns in Sarawak and other parts of the country.

He said society should study the likely causes or reasons behind such criminal activities, apart from merely talking about preventive measures, including beefing police manpower and resources nationwide and for the public to help with citizen arrests.

Citizen arrest is, of course, not a new thing at all, he said, adding that it is provided for against crime.

"Citizen arrest is opportunistic, for it can only be done at the right time, not when there is a well-armed robber no matter how many people may be around at the time."

"Besides, if it is a snatch theft by motor-cycle the robber's identity is often shielded by a full visor helmet," said Lau, adding that the authorities may want to consider amending the law to make it an offence to wear visor helmets.

Referring to recent police statistics on snatch thefts, he said the actual figure would be much higher as half or more cases were never reported.

Lau suggested that the womenfolk in particular change the culture of carrying large handbags to carrying small purse and wearing pants or dresses with pockets to keep the purse.