KOTA KINABALU:
Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has called on all parties concerned, especially the police, to strive to step up crime prevention efforts, in order to better safeguard the people’s safety and property. Its Deputy Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah, made the call in a statement issued here yesterday, following the abduction of a female University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) student from Taman Kingfisher in Likas here on Tuesday evening, by a group of youths who came in a Perodua Kancil. Chong pointed out that the incident showed that criminals are getting more aggressive and bolder in their acts nowadays and if nothing is done fast, it may soon become a worrisome trend. “I have in fact highlighted on the need for the police to pay serious attention to the rising crime rate in Penampang area of late through the newspapers as well as during our Party’s joint Annual General Meeting (AGM) recently. This latest incident is indeed very much regretted. My heartfelt sympathy goes to the victim and her family,” he said. He thus called on all the State Assembly members and Members of Parliaments in the State to promptly reflect to the Federal and State Governments on the urgent need to improve the security in the State, especially in those crime- prone areas like Kota Kinabalu and Penampang. He especially urged all parties concerned, the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) included, to conduct a comprehensive study on the root cause of the problem in order to come up with effective. measures to address the problem. Likas Assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan said the news was shocking as such a violent crime rarely occurred in Sabah. “I was so angry and shocked when I received the SMS about the abduction,” he said when asked to comment on the incident. Liew said he too had asked the relevant authorities, especially the police, to improve the security level in his constituency as well as to increase the number of police booths in the area. Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Member of Parliament Dr King Cheu said the suspects were arrogant enough to ignore the country’s rules and laws when they abducted the student in public. “The elected representatives of the area had insisted that the security there, especially in Kingfisher, be improved but no action was taken and now the crime rate has increased,” he said. The Government, he said, should put up more streetlights in the area and make sure that they are functioning properly and the police must step up their patrol there for the safety of the residents.
