PETALING JAYA, May 25 — Achieving city status would not mean a thing if authorities in Seremban failed to tackle security issues that have been plaguing the town in recent years, said Rahang assemblyman Mary Josephine Prittam Singh.
She said such crimes are nothing new in Seremban as it has been happening more frequent lately.
“People here are worried about their safety. There are even conversations of what they should and should not carry while walking on the streets because of this fear,” she said.
Malay Mail, had yesterday, revealed Hay Peng Kong, 65, was brutally beaten in Jalan Tun Dr Ismail about two weeks ago while a robbery-assault occurred at a coffeeshop in Jalan Seng Meng on May 17.
The town has been hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons following the attack on two nuns, Sister Juliana Lim and Sister Mary-Rose Teng, within the Church of the Visitation’s compound on May 14. Lim died last Tuesday.
Seremban police chief ACP Zainal Abu said since he assumed the post nine months ago, the streets have been crime-free with the exception of one or two isolated cases. He also said there were no reports lodged.
In a response, Teng said: “People don’t want to lodge reports because they have lost confidence with the force. Also, there are many senior citizens living here and they find it a hassle to lodge reports.”
She said people tend to shy away from seeking help as police were perceived as “not people-friendly”.
Teng used Hay’s case as an example.
“I was told that hospital authorities informed the police about Hay, but no report was lodged on his behalf as he did not have any family members to do so. Police should look into Hay’s case instead of waiting for someone to lodge a report. They should take proactive measures.”
Teng said she had made several requests to meet Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Osman Salleh since last year, only to be turned away.
Zainal refused to comment over the reports published.
Two former police chiefs Tan Sri Musa Hassan and Tan Sri Rahim Noor admitted public’s trust towards the force remained low, adding they need to be proactive in its crime prevention instead of relying on reports lodged.
Seremban is set to be the 12th city in the country.
