Tuesday February 13, 2007
Campaign to keep homes safe during CNY
RESIDENTS of Subang Jaya, USJ, Bandar Sunway and Putra Heights can rest assured about the safety of their homes during the Chinese New Year holidays.
The police have given their commitment to look out for their homes with the launch of the Balik Kampung-Rumah Selamat campaign.
The campaign was launched at Summit Shopping Complex and by Selangor police chief Datuk Ismail Omar together with Subang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Muhammad Fuad Talib, and officers-in-charge from police stations of USJ 8, Subang Jaya, Putra Heights, and Bandar Sunway.
The campaign is a joint programme undertaken by Subang Jaya district police together with the “SJ Alert” committee and the USJ Residents Association (USJRA) as part of the area’s ongoing crime prevention measures.
The SJ Alert is an SMS service first mooted by proactive members of USJRA and various neighbourhood watch groups in Subang Jaya as a way of sharing information with residents on crime incidents in their township.
Under this service, residents need to just register their intended absence with any of the participating police stations informing the police of the duration that they will be away from home.
Once notified, the police will then arrange for their men to patrol and visit the specified homes until the day of their return.
Although the service is initiated in conjunction with Chinese New Year, it will however remain available all year-round for residents of the said townships as a special service by the police.
“It's not the first time Subang Jaya residents are working with the police on initiatives like this,” said Lee.
“Residents of Subang Jaya, you've proven that you are not just concerned about your business or daily jobs, but can respond to community work when it is called for.
“I'm proud to say that you can hardly find empty houses in Subang Jaya and USJ anymore because many people want to live here. It's because of you passionate people that makes this township a sought-after place to stay in,” said Lee.
Ismail, who took office about three months ago, said the service was a smart partnership between the community and police.
“I would like to congratulate the SJ Alert team for working together with us to combat crime.
“The society will look at SJ Alert as a model, so now it's a challenge to police in Subang Jaya to show Malaysians how effective we are,” he added.
Ismail said Selangor had been allocated an additional 200 policemen recently.
The number, he said, would be distributed according to location priorities.
“We will use the additional manpower to make the presence of the police felt. I'll be asking the OCPDs to enhance police mobility. We'll not just patrol houses but also other areas like shopping complexes.
“I was told that the membership of SJ Alert itself is more than 3,000 as of today. It definitely can be more, so please get your friends or relatives in Subang Jaya to register if they haven’t.”
ACP Muhammad Fuad said the police would be working round-the-clock on three different shifts.
“We will have uniformed police on MPVs and motorbikes, and non-uniformed detectives as well to patrol malls on foot.”
Registered SJ Alert subscribers can use the Balik Kampung-Rumah Selamat service by registering online at www.sjalert.com.my, or SMS to SJ Alert Control Centre (32300), free-of-charge, by typing: SJBALIKPrecinct<*> Full Name<*>Full Address<*>Date away<*>Date back.
Those not registered can download the forms from five websites – www.sjalert.com.my, www.usjra.com, www.nwatch.net.my, www.usj.com.my, and www.hwabeng.org.my, complete the details and submit them at the nearest police station.
