I SAW a news photo of police personnel removing signboards of illegal money lenders as part of “Ops Vulture” campaign last week.
Why is it so difficult to apprehend the “Ah Long” who deface walls, road signs, post boxes and other public property with their signboards and posters.
And these loan sharks seem to be getting bolder by the day as they stick their posters at will with heavy duty glue. It is such an eyesore.
The impression the public gets is that these “Ah Long” appear to be untouchable.
The phone numbers of the perpetrators are there on the posters.
The police could go undercover and pose as customers to apprehend the culprits.
I don’t think such an operation is complicated or requires meticulous planning. Why is it not done?
Catching them red-handed and publicising the arrests widely is one sure way of getting rid of the menace.
In addition to a fine, the culprits should be made to remove their posters and do public service by removing other illegal posters.
So far I have not heard or read of any loan shark being charged for vandalising public property. Why is this so?
The police can work with the telephone service providers to either block or blacklist the number or send a warning to the “Ah Long” to stop sticking posters.
I do hope the police would enlighten the public why they are not apprehending the “Ah Long” despite the overwhelming evidence on their posters.
Pola Singh
Kuala Lumpur
