There are mixed reactions among Chinese community leaders to the Cabinet's way of dealing with the current crime wave that has hit Johor.

After much public outcry and two protests organised by Johoreans last week, the Cabinet on Wednesday announced the deployment of 400 additional policemen backed by another 200 new police vehicles to the state.

The move was the result of a spate of violent crimes, including murders, rape and robberies which have sparked fear among Johoreans over their safety.

Some leaders interviewed by malaysiakini lauded the Cabinet's decision, but others were less convinced and felt that it was a knee-jerk reaction.

The real problem, claimed the detractors, were the lackluster efforts to boost police professionalism and processing victim reports.

Followed by the wake of violent crimes in Johor, were allegations of certain police stations turning away rape and robbery victims which prompted Bukit Aman CID chief Christopher Wan to declare that police reports can be lodged at any police station.

Johor Bahru Tiong Hua Association president Alex Lua for one, lauded the deployment of extra police personnel in the area since manpower constraints were an often used explanation for the high crime rate by the Johor Bahru police.

"Only after the recent high profile robberies and rape cases did the government start to listen to the complaints of the Johor Bahru police," said Lua.

Asked if the Cabinet order was the right solution to the problem, Lua said, "It's still better than nothing".

Lua said his association will be recruiting volunteers to assist the public in making police reports as many had not done so in the past citing language barriers and non-cooperation from the police.

Last week, Lua's association had initiated a well-received signature campaign calling on the authorities to resolve the crime problem. It has hitherto collected 150,000 signatures.

IPCMC needed

Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) president Bong Hon Liong opined that additional police personnel in the state would not mean the police would be less 'passive' towards crime.

He believed that the Cabinet order was a 'temporary solution' and did not tackle the root cause of rising crimes, which requires cooperation from both the police and the public.

"That's why recently KLSCAH proposed to set up a joint task force with other societies to work consistently with the police. One of the main objectives of the task force is to call for establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC)," said Bong.

(The IPCMC was first mooted by the Royal Police Commission in May 2005. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government had agreed in principle to establish the body, but it has since faced heavy opposition from the police)

Bong said recent events had made evident that public pressure was important to improve the police operations.

"Public pressure is what keep the government on their toes. Had the public not protest, the police would never have reacted (and deployed additional officers in Johor)," he added.

KLSACH civil rights committee head Ser Choon Ing said the police urgently needs to improve the process of lodging reports especially during emergencies.

"If the police implement the recommendations in the Royal Commission report, every station would need to have at least one translator. There will be no need to set up a volunteer group to help victims lodge reports," said Ser, a trained lawyer.

Ser said unless the basic aspects of policing can be implemented professionally, additional deployment would not help the situation in Johor.

ORIGINAL STORY