BY: NURUL ASMUI MD AZMI
asmui@propwall.com

Increasing the awareness of crime prevention

The alarming rise in crime rates is a concern to many people, especially during this time of economic uncertainty. There is not a day that goes by without us hearing or reading about robberies, murders, assaults and many other forms of crime all around the country.

The likelihood of becoming a victim of crime is a reality that many of us should not take lightly. However, there are many ways in which this can be prevented, from the simple step of being aware of one's surroundings and making sure all doors and windows are locked, to a more essential measure like installing CCTVs or a house alarm.

A crime safety specialist, Shamir Rajadurai, decides to share his knowledge with us on the matter and how ordinary folks can keep themselves and their loved ones safe. As a co-founder of PreventCrimeNow.com, a practical crime prevention design, he provides several practices and tips of crime prevention that people are usually unaware of.

The company was established to increase the awareness in crime prevention amongst the public, as there is almost nothing more personal than having one’s belongings and privacy invaded by a malicious party.

The uniqueness of PreventCrimeNow.com

According to Shamir, who is currently pursuing his Masters in Criminal Justice and also a Certified CPTED Practitioner (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design), the team at PreventCrimeNow.com has held numerous workshops on crime prevention to demonstrate some practical solutions that can help the public to be safe, as well as help to reduce the possibility of becoming a victim.

A crime safety specialist, Shamir Rajadurai.

The team has its own unique way when dealing with crime prevention as they find the way out of sticky situations by thinking from the perspective of a criminal. They have conducted plenty of research to know how criminals operate and are always up-to-date with the cunning new ways that criminals may come up with to commit crime.

“When conducting our sessions, we always tell the crowd that fighting and violence is not the way to go when dealing or trying to get away from a crime. We also highlight the reality of how easy it is for crime to happen by executing them on stage, such as when we do a demo of pick-pocketing with a volunteer from the crowd," he explained.

The team ensures that they are able to give a proper guidance of prevention tips by following crime news from around the country. They also obtain their insights from studying the various videos that are shared with them or online from the general public, and from acquaintances that were unfortunately involved in crime incidents but were willing to share their stories.

Buying a property with adequate safety features

Besides being a vital skill in an individual’s daily life, the prevention of crime is also crucial when it comes to selecting a property to buy for own stay or investment. When searching for the right property, Shamir advises, “Property buyers should inquire on the type of security features that the developer is offering, as being solely gated and guarded doesn’t mean that the residential area is perfectly safe. Being just “Gated and Guarded” is yesterdays form of security”

There are numerous crime preventive measures that can be applied by developer to help keep the community living in its developments safe and secure. One distinctive concept that is not very familiar to many developers in Malaysia is that they can incorporate the CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) method, which is the proper design and effective use of the natural environment that can help reduce the fear and incidence of crime in a development.

“As a company that instills awareness of crime prevention, we would love to coordinate with developers and work closely with them to implement effective safety precautions and crime preventive measures to ensure a safer living. We give unbiased opinions and consultation where we will actually go to the client's site and do a safety and security test, from testing the security guards, to the layout of the neighbourhood, and the lighting at all prominent areas. We look at everything from the bottom to the top”

Adding more security guards and more CCTV does not reduce crime, it only adds on to the cost, Some developers have a rough idea on what CPTED is but only from a theoretical perspective, what Shamir and his team does is combine the theory with the understanding of Malaysian crime to be able to provide a very effective CPTED strategy.

“It is not just about having many tiers of security; developers must also pay attention to the lighting, the location of the park, the parking spaces, the size of the walkway,  and the last should be where and how many CCTVs are being installed,” he enthused.

Preventing crime for a safer community

In order to keep a neighbourhood safe and orderly, it is also important for the community to come together and strive to help prevent crime. One of the ways that work best to reduce crime in a neighbourhood is by forming a residents’ association (RA) and neighbourhood watch.

“Community building is great, especially when the neighbours are friendly, because they can bond and gather more ideas on how to solve problems within their precinct. They will be more alert when there are strangers in the neighbourhood.

“Another thing to note is that when you are leaving your house to go on a holiday, you can visit the police station that is in charge of your residential area to fill in the ‘balik kampung’ form. By submitting that form, the police will come and visit your house periodically to make sure that it is kept safe,” said Shamir.

“It is also convenient to have the phone number of the police department in charge of your area on hand, and also the number of the Bukit Aman hotline, so you can call them directly if anything happens,” he added.

Regardless of where you are, you should always be aware of your surroundings and be alert to situations that could make you vulnerable to crime. Crime prevention measures shouldn’t be a burden, as it is more of a common sense approach in keeping yourself, your belongings, your family and neighbourhood secure.

For more information on the crime prevention sessions by Shamir Rajadurai, email him at shamir@preventcrimenow.com, or visit http://www.preventcrimenow.com.