GEORGE TOWN, Aug 14 — Authorities may blame the rise in shootings on the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) but they cannot use the same excuse to explain the apparent easy availability of guns, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Lim (picture) said it now seems as though every robber has a gun, despite the deadly penalties involved in the possession and use of firearms.

“Only police omnipresence can deter criminals and bring down the crime rate,” he said in a statement today.

The Bagan MP reiterated that it was ridiculous for Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to say there are now 260,000 criminals roaming the streets in Malaysia just because 2,600 detainees were released following the repeal of the EO.

Pointing out that there has been at least a shooting a day since the end of last month, the latest being the cold-blooded murder of businessman Mohd Lutfi Mansor in a robbery in Dungun, Lim said the response by the Home Ministry was only disappointing inaction and blaming the repeal of the EO.

Alarmed by the problem, the party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) held an emergency meeting on Monday night to discuss the deteriorating crime situation in the country.

The Penang chief minister said the CWC has appointed Seputeh MP and DAP national vice chairman Teresa Kok as the head of the DAP Crime Action Taskforce (CAT).

Kok will lead the taskforce to demand for an increase in police personnel, especially in the criminal investigation department (CID).

“We want the police to increase from the present 10,150 policemen in CID or nine per cent of the total police force of 112,583 to 50 per cent or 56,000 policemen under CID, “ he said.

He added this serious escalation in violent crimes would have an adverse effect not only on personal security but also on the tourism and business climate in the country

“There must be a total and complete focus by the police to revert to its statutory duty on fighting crime to immediately restore public safety to our streets,” he said.

He said the way to resolve the recent rise in crime is not to resuscitate EO-like laws but to have a strong police presence on the streets along with manpower and other related resources to fight crime.

Lim wants the police force to be restructured so that those who are now performing non-essential duties, including monitoring and dealing with Barisan Nasional’s political opponents, are reassigned to their core duty of fighting crime.