Call for more senior citizen safety awareness campaigns

KUALA LUMPUR: More campaigns to raise safety awareness among senior citizens should be organised to help reduce crimes committed against them, says Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
He said authorities and the public should play a more proactive role in sharing information on latest crime trends and modus operandi, so that senior citizens do not fall victims to them.
Besides being easily deceived, senior citizens are generally weaker and unable to defend themselves well, making them an easy target for criminals, he said in a statement.
He stressed that awareness on preventive techniques could also help senior citizens to identify situations that could lead to criminal incidents, and to take positive action to minimise the risks.
"For example, if a senior citizen falls victim to a crime, it is better that they do not fight back because it could cause serious injury or death. They should remain calm, and try to remember the physical characteristics of the suspect, and contact the police as soon as it is safe to do so," he said.
While advising them to not easily believe strangers, Lee said they should also take extra precaution, such as ensuring that their windows and doors were locked, and to immediately contact family members if they suspect something was amiss, he said.
Lee said awareness of crimes against the elderly was important as the United Nations had projected that Malaysia would become an ageing population nation by 2030. — Bernama