KUALA LUMPUR: Despite not enjoying regular salary and allowance, members of the Voluntary Patrol Scheme (SRS) remain committed to assist the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) to maintain peace and security in their residential areas in the spirit of love for peace.
In fact, they have been proven to be able to reduce crimes in their housing areas.
For residents in Taman Seri Gombak A here, the establishment of SRS in the housing area since 2017 has helped to allay fears among the people in carrying various activities or just going out of their house at night.
The garden’s SRS head, Samsudin Ngah said thirty-three volunteers comprising residents of the housing estate had registered as SRS members and took turns to patrol the housing area with the police personnel especially at night.
“Each member of SRS is provided with a luminous vest, torchlight and truncheon when on crime prevention patrol and in fact they have the authority to arrest a suspicious person in their housing area before reporting to police for further action,” he said when met by Bernama at Taman Seri Gombak A Rukun Tetangga (KRT) operations room here recently.
Samsudin said the setting up of SRS had succeeded in preventing many criminal cases such as snatch thefts, house and vehicle break-ins in the housing area.
Another resident, Sharidayu Zainudin, 40, said she was more confident of going out alone even at night as she felt it was safer now.
“Before SRS began, my mother is now 72-year-old was twice the victim of snatch thefts in front of her own house.
“Now, residents can feel the change as they can report any problems or suspicious matter in KRT’s group WhatsApp and SRS members will go to the location to inspect,” said the resident who has been living in the garden since 1997.
In this regard, Gombak police chief, ACP Samsor Maarof said statistics showed cases of house burglaries in the district had fallen by 17.37% with 390 cases reported in 2018 compared 472 cases in 2017.
“Cases of snatch thefts were completely eradicated as there were no cases reported last year compared to three cases the year before while car thefts fell 17.27 per cent from 388 cases in 2017 to 321 cases last year,” he said.
Bukit Aman Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director Datuk Seri Rosli Ab Rahman said SRS was established under the Rukun Tetangga Act which provides for the duty of SRS personnel including the authority to inspect and patrol housing areas gazetted under the National Unity and Integration Department.
“SRS teams can assist police carry out patrols and also act as informers to police on drug trafficking cases. Since then, the people have been feeding information to assist police to solve criminal cases,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama at his office recently.
However, Rosli said members of SRS have to put on their official vest when conducting roadblock or inspection in their housing area at night to identify themselves.
Police also joined SRS in carrying out roadblocks and patrols when necessary to prevent crimes especially burglaries.
He said police encouraged the implementation of SRS in all residential areas to assist residents look after the security of the neighbourhood apart from fostering unity and integration among residents. — Bernama
