By Alang Bendahara
SELANGOR is ranked number two in the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s crime index for 2019. Standing at 304.3 crimes per 100,000 of its population, the state is second only to Kuala Lumpur, which registered a ratio of 592.3 crimes per 100,000 of its people.
Based on statistics by the Selangor police, the top five crimes in the state between January and July 2021 are theft (29.8 per cent), housebreaking (18.3 per cent), theft of motor vehicles (17.4 per cent), gang robbery (8.8 per cent) and roadside robbery (7.6 per cent).
Although the numbers look discouraging, newly appointed Selangor Chief of Police (CPO) Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed is confident of his officers’ ability to maintain order in the state.
“As we know, Selangor is not only a developed and highly populated state but is also unique. When we talk about Selangor, we are talking about Malaysia as a whole. The people in Selangor come from all over the country with different cultural backgrounds, so Selangor is ‘truly Malaysia’.
“This creates a very challenging situation for any CPO. We must be at the top of our game, not just for security issues but also for our service delivery, professionalism and integrity,” he said during an online interview with Selangor Journal.
As deputy CPO, Arjunaidi was appointed as acting Selangor CPO on December 14, 2020, when CPO Datuk Noor Azam Jamaludin retired. On April 12, 2021, Arjunaidi was promoted to CPO with the rank of Commissioner of Police.
“Although Selangor contributes to one of the highest crime rates (in the country), it is due to the state being the most populated in Malaysia. The ratio is still meagre compared to other countries in the world.
“Selangor is still a safe state not only for its residents but also for the tourists and anyone who works and lives here.”
Going it together
Arjunaidi said with almost 14,000 officers in the force, Selangor also has a more significant number of crime busters compared to other states.
But with Covid-19 halting expansion plans for all government agencies, Arjunaidi is working on ways to optimise the force’s existing workforce, resources and logistics.
“During the pandemic, the police need to act more systematically so that crime prevention and compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP) can move simultaneously.
“In Selangor, we have monitoring teams to ensure SOP compliance, and the same teams also carry out crime-prevention tasks. The same goes for the roadblock teams — they not only look out for SOP adherence but also for criminal conduct.”
Arjunaidi said the Selangor police would continue its good working relationship with the community and the authorities in the state.
“I like to use the term ‘we’ because both the police and the people have to play their part. The police cannot combat crime alone. We have to work together as a community because crime itself starts at home.”
He added that since 2011, the Selangor police have collaborated with the state government in using closed-circuit- television (CCTV) cameras to monitor criminal activities.
“CCTVs not only help to reduce crime but also assist in the process of investigation and enable us to work faster. It also saves on manpower as surveillance can be done for a wider area.
“In the near future, we need more than CCTVs. We would like to have more digital collaboration with other agencies, such as data sharing. It would be better if all of us can develop a smart city together,” he said.
A few black sheep
Arjunaidi admitted that there is also a need to combat crime from inside the force, as there are a few black sheep among the men in blue.
“Of course, with a large number of officers in Selangor, there will be a handful who flout the law. The Selangor police will not compromise on any illegal acts by members of its force. I have issued a strong warning that whoever commits an offence will be dealt with by the provisions of the law,” he said.
He added that Selangor would also use several approaches to maintain the quality of its officers and personnel.
They will increase their supervising system, provide more on-the-job training sessions whether face-to-face or online, give counselling sessions through its BAKA (Bahagian Agama dan Kaunseling) department and carry out continuous monitoring via the Department of Integrity and Standards Compliance.
“So if you ask me about cases committed by the police, for me, even though the number is still minimal, I take the matter very seriously and will keep on working to reduce the number of problematic officers in the state,” he said.
This article first appeared in the Selangor Journal monthly August edition, published on August 9, 2021.
