KUCHING: In the wake of numerous shooting cases reported in the country, including the state, it has been suggested that the sale of bullets and ammunition either be stopped or tightened.
Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) Kuching branch chairman Datuk Dr Anthony Nait said this was to at least make it difficult for the criminals to get such dangerous weapons even it cannot be curbed completely.
“Incidents of violent crimes are apparently on the rise and the public is greatly concerned especially when criminals use firearms to kill their victims,” Nait said.
“Probable motives could be revenge, jealousy, business rivalry or whatever reasons known to the assailants, the main issue here is the type of weapon used to commit the crime.
“Whether they are hired killer or whatever, that is immaterial. What we are more concerned now is how and from where these criminals get the firearms.”
Getting the guns or pistols is one thing and the fact that it seems too easy for them to get ammunitions is another, he said.
He told thesundaypost this when met at the Indonesian Consul General Djoko Harjanto’s open house at his residence in Jalan Stampin Baru here on first day of Hari Raya.
To prevent people from possessing such weapons, Nait suggested that the authority concerned seriously check on the matter, especially the sales of guns and ammunitions.
“This is one of the approaches for the police to fight against violent crimes that I can think of. Secondly, I suggest that police issue stern warning to gun owners not to lend their firearms to anyone.
“Owners found passing their guns or rifles to anyone should be faced with very severe penalty,” he said.
Also vocal on the same issue, Bidayuh businessman Datuk Peter Minos suggested that in view of the rampant violent crimes of late, preventive laws should be reinstated with the aim of giving police more powers and also flexibility of action.
“Prevention is better than cure goes the saying and it is indeed wiser in preventing a crime than letting it happen by which time life may be lost or property stolen. Therefore many feel that preventive laws may help in nabbing the criminals and thus reducing the crimes.
“Provided that preventive laws are used exclusively for combating crimes and not for any other purpose, there is merit in the call by some Malaysians,” Minos stressed.
He said in the present situation where people were fearful of being becoming victims of such crime, their hope was that the police get rid of violent criminals from society by whatever means.
“People support any police action in making the nation crime-free, including the use of preventive laws, entrapment, high intelligence, and even hard tactics for getting proof and evidence,” he said.
He said while criminals were becoming bolder, more vicious and cunning, police need to really beef up and lead in the war against criminals since they have the law, tools, expertise and training in both crime prevention and crime elimination.
“If our police had beaten the more vicious communist terrorists in the past, they can eliminate the criminals now. It is a matter of will and determination,” he said.
He said a similar approach used to fight terrorists could be applied in facing violent criminals since they were the same.
“Violent criminals and communist terrorists do the same thing. They both kill and terrorise citizens,” he said.