Kuching in fear as crime wave grips city

The majority of victims decide not to make police reports. The complaint is that it takes a very long time, just to make a report, and this further frustrates the victims.

KUCHING: The Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak claims that Kuching, if not other parts of Sarawak as well, is in the grip of a crime wave brought about by the lack of jobs, skills and opportunities.

Stampin MP Julian Tan wants the police to confirm that Kuching is not turning into a mini Las Vegas with illegal gambling mushrooming everywhere, prostitution dens and rampant drug abuse.

“The feedback I get from the ground is that they are concerned over the rising crime rate,” said Tan in a statement. “The police must explain the crime wave if they are being effective.”

“Clearly, something has to be done, immediately, as the situation will progressively worsen if nothing is done, fast enough.”

He claimed that people in Kuching have been reduced to living in fear of being robbed and mugged even in broad daylight. Snatch thieves can get away scot-free, he added, and he attributes this to the ineffectiveness of the police force. “These culprits have become more daring and were roaming around looking for victims even in broad daylight.”

“While the people are losing confidence with the ability of the police to dampen the situation, the criminals themselves are gaining confidence in carrying out their activities,” he said.

On Wednesday, he said that two persons on a black motorcycle snatched a woman’s gold necklace in Poh Kwong Park in Kuching, they repeated the same crime a few minutes later in Tabuan Laru and were later spotted in MJC Batu Kawah. Several shops in Stampin have also suffered numerous break-ins, he added.

“All these are unsolved cases as they were not reported to the police. The majority of people that I spoke to decided not to make police reports as it would not help,” said Tan.

“The complaint from many people is that it takes a very long time, just to make a report, and this further frustrates the victims.”