Cops focus on crime in Kota Damansara

Tuesday March 16, 2010
Cops focus on crime in Kota D’sara
By YIP YOKE TENGteng@thestar.com.my
This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/16/central/5819158&sec=central
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THE police are focusing on Kota Damansara, particularly Section 4, following an increase in robberies and house break-ins in the area.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed, who confirmed that crime was on the rise at Kota Damansara, said this could be due to an increased police presence in Damansara and SEA Park over the past few weeks.
“We managed to bring down the crime rate in Damansara and SEA Park but there was a rise in the crime rate in the neighbouring townships such as Kota Damansara,” Asst Comm Arjunaidi said.
He added that another reason for the increase in crime in Kota Damansara was the increase in its population, including the floating population that comprised students, shoppers and workers. Convenient spot: The abandoned show unit adjacent to the D’Shire Villa Apartments in Section 4, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, has become a haunt for drug addicts.
To tackle the problem, he said the police had embarked on an operation focusing on Kota Damansara by deploying additional personnel to patrol the area on foot or by car.
“That also includes the horse unit from the headquarters,” he said.
He highlighted that he had requested for more personnel from the higher authorities to patrol not only Kota Damansara, but also other affected areas like Sungai Buloh, Kampung Subang and Sungai Way.
Asked if the police would set up temporary police beat bases like in SS2, Section 17 and Damansara Utama, Arjunaidi said he would consider it.
“It depends as that strategy may not be effective all the time,” he said.
Some residents of Kota Damansara feel that criminals and syndicates were targeting their area as more and more housing estates are subscribing to gated and guarded schemes.
At the D’Shire Villa Apartments, although a guarded housing scheme, two units were broken into within a week.
The incidents cost the owners at least RM50,000 and RM30,000 each, with not only jewellery and laptop computers, but also bulky items like LCD television sets taken from the units. Maintenance needed: Unkempt shrubs and undergrowth in some areas in Kota Damansara can offer a place for criminals to hide.
One of the victims also lost his car as the culprits took his car keys and conveniently drove it away while the security guards were unaware of it.
“Despite the huge losses, I consider myself lucky because I was actually sleeping in my room when the robbers entered my house.
“They must have seen me sleeping but managed to take my belongings out without my knowledge,” said the victim who preferred to remain anonymous.
D’Shire Villa Joint Management Body chairman Jamil Yazid Abdul Rahim said there was a need to tighten security at the apartment with better safety measures, like replacing the perimeter fencing with walls.
“We have heard of many cases happening around here and the residents are living in fear,” he said.
Secretary Mohd Farizal Fouzy said the area had always been safe, but the crime rate seemed to have shot up all of a sudden.
“We also heard that a family was robbed of RM40,000 and they were frightened out of their wits as their child was held at knife-point.
“In another incident, four bungalows were broken into on the same day and the robbers managed to escape,” he added.
He said the area was well-lit but an adjacent abandoned structure, which was used as the project showroom, had become the haunt of drug addicts.
“The abandoned structure is also surrounded by thick undergrowth and many students from the nearby school will gather here when they are playing truant,” he said.
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