Handbag snatched inside shopping complex

Extracted from Malaysiakini.com

By Shoba Mano Jun 25, 08 4:33pm

I’m writing this to inform all Malaysians to think carefully where they shop. There are shopping complexes with security problems so bad that people can get robbed even in the midst of hundreds of shoppers about. And there would be no security or anyone from the complex’s management to help.

On Sunday, June 15, I was at the Summit Subang Jaya, a shopping centre located at Persiaran Kewajipan, in USJ1, in Subang Jaya. At about 3pm, I took a seat while my husband and I were in a shoe shop on the ground floor. While seated, I placed my handbag beside me and reached out to pick up a pair of shoes displayed just in front of me. When the shop assistant said my shoe size was not available, I stood up to look at another pair. As the assistant moved away, she suddenly screamed that someone had just stolen my handbag.

I shouted to my husband and he ran out of the shop together with the assistant and me. As we ran, the assistant described the thief in detail and pointed to a man standing near Starbucks. While my husband pursued the man, the shop assistant and I rushed to the Information Counter to seek help from the lady there.

After quickly explaining what had happened, I had asked her to immediately call security and to make an announcement throughout the shopping centre that if anyone sees a man in the description we had given to please inform the nearest security guard.

What happened next is utterly shocking! Despite the fact that I was in distress, she refused to assist me in any way and refused to phone security. Surprised, I explained the situation again, but she replied point blank that ‘that is not my job’. She claimed her job was only to provide directions and information on the location of the various shops in the shopping centre. The shop assistant and I approached the nearest security guard and told him what happened and gave a description of the thief. The guard merely spoke into his walkie-talkie and said he had ‘sealed off’ all entrances.

As we were walking together towards Starbucks I asked him if such theft was a common occurrence at the Summit. He told me ‘yes’ and that the thieves were so bold as to even snatch handbags off women while they were walking around the shopping centre. When the guard couldn’t see my husband anywhere, he simply walked off. The assistant and I resumed our search all over the building. During that time, we noted none of the exits or entrances we checked were sealed off as the guard had said. Furthermore, there wasn’t even any guard at these places. So what did he mean by ‘sealed off’?

During this time I also passed the Information Counter again and pleaded with the same woman there to make the public announcement because the thief could just as well have passed the stolen ‘loot’ to an accomplice and gone on to find his next victim.

Isn’t she concerned that he could strike again and shouldn’t the other shoppers be warned? When she didn’t bother I took down her name and said I was going to lodge a report against her and take a law suit against the management of the Summit. My husband joined the assistant and I, and the three of us searched the shopping centre. My husband said he, too, had noticed none of the entrances were ‘sealed off’ when he was searching on his own too.

There were also no guards posted at the stairwells, exits, etc, as we checked all these places. Later when we returned to the Information Counter we found the same woman had called someone in plainclothes who identified himself as ‘head of security’. The woman had changed her attitude by now (after I threatened to sue) and even offered to ask the DJ to make an announcement although she added, ‘when the DJ could find the time’. This was like 90 minutes after the theft. She was acting like this was some scheduled movie announcement and not an urgent situation of grave danger that needed immediate attention.

By now, the shop assistant had gone back to the shoe shop and my husband and I went there with this head of security to speak to her. She then came again with us and the head of security to comb the floors of the shopping centre. The head of security then left us, saying there was nothing more he could do. He didn’t even bother to take a statement or any particulars from the shop assistant, my husband or me.

The thief had made off with my one-month-old mobile phone costing RM1,100, RM200 in cash, credit cards, ATM cards, driving licence, and identification card among other items valued at RM300. I have since lodged a police report as I hold the Summit negligent and responsible for my loss as they never bothered to provide me with immediate and proper assistance during a time of distress.

I have also referred this matter to my solicitors with a view to sue the Summit, Subang Jaya. Their attitude of not providing assistance during an emergency is even more shocking if one stretches the imagination a little, and replaces my stolen handbag with a kidnapped child. This shopping centre is a disgrace to public safety and I ask all Subang residents to think twice about shopping there.

Attacked by a 'old newspaper' dealer!

Submitted by Adrian Nathan who lives in USJ 11/3 via email.

Here is his personal account.

10.20am this morning.. I decided to go out and took my car keys. As I was about to enter the car, I saw the "old newspaper" lorry pass and decided to sell my pile of old newspaper... Two men, after I open the gate got rude (why u keep dogs, all dogs useless, if robbery one kick they fly, anybody keep dogs are useless, cant depend on themselves, very stupid people...blah, blah..) ..but I tolerated until the 6th or 7th time, so I said, its ok, please leave, as I dont want to sell it to you anymore. They insist of taking the papers, which I didnt allow... one of the men took up my dining chair and wanted to hit me over the head. Instead as i would naturally would do, of running off, I somehow without thinking dashed towards him and he dropped the chair. After he dropped the chair,he punch me in the eye. Think I was too angry to be fearful or feel the pain, with my keys as weapon, I kept punching him on his chest with the keys till they broke. Good thing my brown dog Clacton somehow managed to escape from bedroom and helped me (cos he was kept in room so the men can come take the papers)... the other guy behind me (which I didnt see) wanted to take another chair to hit me from behind... as I kept shouting for Help, help, my mum came out and pick up a chair too.. which the men then ran before picking a poltted plant and wanted to throw it at me...

So, from today onwards, I will NEVER sell old newspaper anymore. Anyone around here see a old newspaper lorry, red front with wooden brown back, registration WLR1691.... dont call him in, call the Police instead as they treat this rather seriously cos they come inside house and attack. The Balai Polis in USJ8 tel is 03-5635 6904. The Chief Inspector Roslin have been quite understanding, and gave me his personal mobile number as well.. just in case this idiot come back, so he can send a car over asap to arrest him.

Thankfully, I have installed CCTV, so whole incident is recorded, and we will burn a disk for the police tomorrow so their lab can have a wanted picture of this Chinese man (about 28 years to 30), and one dark skin man about 30 (could be Thai or Cambodian, I am unsure .. but is pretty dark skin).

Additional Information

Dear residents,

By now, you would have noticed 2 banners that prominently displayed at the entrance to our area announcing the meeting of all the residents of USJ 11/3. The event will be supported by our ADUN, YB Hannah Yeoh and also the Subang Jaya Police. We hope you will also pass the word around so that many of the residents will be aware of this event and they will be able to attend the meeting. We would like to see as many of you present as possible for the event.

As for the forms, we have also distributed and spoke to most of you about the event and the intentions of our Resident's Association for our area. We hope you can fill it in and hand it over to us during the function.

In the meantime, if you need more information, please do call any of the Pro-Tem committee members. Their mobile numbers are listed at the bottom of the page of the forms given to you. If you would like to serve in the committee, please do express your interest. We need all the help we can get to make whatever we intend to do successful and in the process, hopefully make our area a model for the rest of the community in USJ11.

We look forward to your positive response.

Thank you.

Making a point: Yeoh (centre) giving her views during the meeting with residents associations, Loh (second from right) and police officers.


Tuesday June 17, 2008
More crime cases reported in Subang Jaya

By THO XIN YI. The Star

SUBANG JAYA residents are having sleepless nights due to the increased crime cases, especially break-ins, in their residential areas.

In Wangsa Baiduri alone, there have been at least six break-ins in the past four weeks, while USJ 5 and USJ 2 recorded at least four and three cases respectively. In view of the urgent need to address the problem, representatives from Subang Jaya Residents Association (SJRA), USJ Residents Association (USJRA), Bandar Sunway Residents Association (BSRA) and Wangsa Baiduri Residents Association (WBRA) had a closed door meeting with Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo Burne, Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh and heads of police stations recently at Yeoh's office. Among the polices who attended the meeting were C/Insp Sulaiman Baputty of the SS17 Police Station and C/Insp Foo Teik Fong of the USJ 8 Police Station.

Yeoh said that topics discussed in the meeting included requests to increase the police patrol and start the voluntary police scheme. “There are insufficient patrol cars and manpower but the presence of police should really be beefed up on the streets,” she said. “Anyone below 35 years of age can take part in the voluntary police training session. “I will announce the next intake when there's one,” she said.

Yeoh also urged the residents to change their ignorant attitudes and start to know their neighbours. “Most of the people are not willing to help even if they see crime happening under their nose, thinking that it is none of their business. I really hope that they will take a proactive role. Instead of building up fences to isolate themselves, they should get to know their neighbours and exchange numbers with each other,” she said.

Citing herself as an example, she said she would message her neighbours if she heard unusual noises at night, and would come out from the houses together with her neighbours to check on suspicious happenings.

“It is also important to lodge police reports to ensure that the crime cases are recorded. If possible, bring a copy of the police report to us so that we can keep track of the statistics,” she said.

Loh suggested to have the police sharing tips with the public on what to do during and after break-ins. “There should be two different guidelines for both the victims and neighbours on how to protect themselves, and what's the best thing to do when such things happen,” he said.

USJRA chairman PC Yeoh shared his idea of kicking off a Know-Your-Neighbour campaign within the residential areas where dialogues with police can be held to further curb crime cases. WBRA representative Jamil Shariff said break-ins still happened at their area despite it is a gated and guarded community.

“Cases like this happened regardless of daytime or evening. The burglars came in cars and everything took place in a flash,” he said.

On a separate matter, Yeoh urged the public to contact the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) hotline at 03-5637 6545 should they encounter anyone putting up illegal ah long (loan sharks) banners without MPSJ logos.

Response so far

I had the chance to cover the road assigned to me, that is USJ 11/3N, with another pro-tem commitee member, Mr. Eng, yesterday. And today I was alone in my walkabout trying to cover the rest of the blocks on the same street. I must say, we were greeted with a lot of suspicion which indicated that the people in the area are generally worried about their safety.

So far, the response has been generally good as most of the folks we spoke to, supported our initiative and idea for a gated/guarded community for the USJ 11/3 area.

However, one of the sad things we found out is that, most neighbours don't really talk to each other, which is a pity. We hope that with our initiative, it will start to break this invisible barrier down and make our neighbourhood a more friendly and safer place to live in. We believe that neighbours should communicate with one another and help each other out in times of need. This is crucial if we want to have a safer neighbourhood.

This unhealthy environment that we are currently living in, where neighbours "mind their own business", only serves to help increase the crime rate, as the criminals will not be detered when they know that the neighbours in general don't really care to look out for each other.

Anyway, I had some feedback from our Pro-tem Chairman, Mr P.H. Ng. He has managed to cover a few blocks today along USJ 11/3B and USJ 11/3C. What he found out was startling to say the least! There were at least 6 or 7 cases of stolen cars recently, which is over and above what we already knew! This is just a worrying thought.

I personally came across a victim living along USJ 11/3N. Mr. Paul Kim is a Korean and he lives here with his family. He told me his Nazaria was stolen just a few weeks ago from his house! So there you go neighbours. Don't take things too lightly just because you were ignorant or that you were not aware that someone along your street is a victim of some form of crime. There were also recent cases of houses broken-into, reported to us when we were doing our rounds.

All in all, a very worrying trend indeed. Clearly, the security situation has deteriorated even further than we expected in the USJ 11/3 neighbourhood. So, please fellow residents of USJ 11/3, let us work together to resolve this dire security issue.

An aunty did ask me how much it would cost per month to have these guards look after our area and properties. At this stage, we will not know as we are not even sure what the response will be from the residents of USJ 11/3. But let us just say this - the more people willing to sign up, the less the cost will be. But an estimated one ringgit plus a day is not too much to pay for our own safety, the safety of our families and our properties, right?

Just a thought, robbers and thieves do not discriminate which house they target. They do not care if it is a rented property or not. They are opportunists and will pick their victims at random. You may be lucky today but you could be a victim tomorrow, unless you choose to do something about it now!

And, may I also add that, when the gated communities gathers momentum in other areas in USJ, such as the ones already established in USJ 5, 16, etc, the criminals will only be left with areas which are not guarded, to seek out their victims, just like USJ 11/3 now. Therefore, the longer we leave the situation as it is, the higher the chance we may become a victim. And this could happen to you!

So, do not for a moment think that you will not be a victim of these crimes. The risks are there. And it is getting worse judging from our feedback. It is a chance you can take or join us in our fight and to make the difference in our neighbourhood's security. The choice is yours!

JK

Development of Land in USJ 11/3 playground

Latest update:

The owner of the land, Top Speed, was planning to convert the development into a 2 ½ storey semi-detached house. Just before the election, they had an approval from MPSJ to build a food court cum kindergarten but options to build a residential 2 1/2 storey semi-detached.

Our Pro-tem committee then filed a petition against the developer at the Selangor State office. But they retracted that plan at the last minute at the hearing in the Shah Alam tribunal recently in May 2008. Our new ADUN, YB Hannah Yeoh and her associates came to support the hearing.
The developer now plans to resubmit the plans to the MPSJ for approval to build the 2 ½ storey semi-detached homes. We are of the opinion that the playground should be maintained as such which will serve as a recreational area and a green lung for the residents. We invite all the residents living in the area to lend support to maintain the green lung for the benefit of all the residents.

Formation of Resident Committe at USJ 11/3

Dear Residents of USJ 11,

Welcome to our blog space. It is an area where we welcome your suggestions and feedback if any but please avoid using profanities. This website serves as a communication tool to all residents living in the USJ 11/3 area and as a unique name, it will be known as 11 Trees!

Anyway, the pro-tem committee of USJ 11/3 would like to invite the residents in this area for a community activity:

Venue: USJ 11/3 Playground area
Date : Sunday 6 July 2008
Time : 9 a.m.

We will be addressing some immediate concerns affecting the residents living in this area. The following will be our agenda:

1. To form the Resident's Committee formally and to elect the respective office bearers. Please do put in your nomination if you have any suitable candidates on that day.

2. To address a serious problem on security by establishing a guarded and/or gated community for USJ 11/3.

3. To address the hap-hazard parking of cars from outside in our area which will increase as the result of the latest development in Taipan commercial area.

4. To address the development of the piece of land in the playground of USJ 11/3.

This event will be graced by our new ADUN for Subang Jaya, YB Hannah Yeoh. It will also be attended by the police of Subang Jaya to address the security concerns.

In addition, we will be making our rounds to have some forms distributed to you to get some information and also to get your consent on certain issues. Please do fill it up and hand it back to us on or before the 6 July 2008. If you have any doubts or questions, please do call any of the pro-tem committee members. Their numbers and names are listed below the form. Please do give us your kind cooperation.

We look forward to seeing all of you there.

Thank you.