A screenshot of the Stapok Crime Watch page on Facebook.
FEAR of falling victim to crime has spurred local residents to set up dozens of independent neighbourhood crime watch groups across the city since last year.
These groups are mostly self-organised and do not receive funding for their meetings and activities other than what they fork out of their own pockets.
They are also active on social media and rely on information communication technology to keep in touch with members of their own groups as well as with other crime watch groups.
Perhaps more importantly, these groups are bringing neighbourhoods closer by strengthening community bonds and goodwill through support for a mutually beneficial cause.
Recently, thesundaypost met with four volunteers from one such group — Stapok Crime Watch (SCW) – to find out more.
Anthony, Bernard, Charles and Dennis (not their real names) were most willing to share their experiences but on the condition that their photographs were not taken to maintain their privacy.
Humble beginnings
It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment that marked the beginnings of these crime watch groups in Kuching.
However, the common theme which runs through them is that social media, Facebook (FB) and the mobile phone application WeChat has been influential in mobilising the public to know of and join their local neighbourhood crime watch.
The four SCW volunteers credit Kuching Crime Watch (KCW) and the success of earlier established crime watch groups as two of the major influences which led to the founding of SCW.
KCW is public page on FB which, among others, provides crime alerts to people who Follow or Like their page. The alerts are sourced from the general public as well as other public online sources, including news portals and the Royal Malaysia Police FB page.
KCW also serves as an informal directory of sorts of the various crime watch groups throughout Kuching and encourages residents to set up their own neighbourhood groups or join existing ones.
When Charles joined KCW’s FB page, he noticed that a group had not yet been set up for Stapok area.
He started tagging people he knew who lived in the area and they in turn, started tagging other people they knew.
One of them was Bernard who also roped in more people. Eventually, this group of concerned neighbours formed the pioneer members of SCW.
They had their first meeting with residents in October last year, followed by two more gatherings. A core group of volunteers who were willing to respond to calls for help was also established.
The housing areas under SCW are divided into nine zones which include Stapok Utara, Stapok Selatan, Stapok Central, Sungei Maong Ulu, Sky Garden, Kapor, Ensing, and Jalan Datuk Temenggong Tang Meng Chong.
WeChat groups have been set up for each zone to facilitate quick alert and response as well as for ease of identification of location on reported incidents.
Volunteers wanted
Initially, public response during the earlier meetings was disappointing. However, membership gradually increased when more residents realised the strength in working together to keep crime out of their neighbourhoods, Anthony recalled.
Volunteers printed out more than 1,000 information leaflets and spent hours distributing them throughout the various neighbourhoods.
Anthony and Dennis estimate there are presently about 600 members in the various SCW WeChat groups.
“However, we still need more residents to be the group’s eyes and ears and human CCTVs. We especially need active volunteers on standby to roll out at any time when needed. We estimate there are at least 3,000 households in the area but presently, we only have between 20 to 30 volunteers.
“The current volunteers have been pushing themselves to the limit. We really need more volunteers otherwise the group will not be effective and the existing members will eventually burn out.
“None of us are professional crime-fighters. All of the volunteers have full-time jobs and this is a big area, so we definitely need more people. An online messaging crime alert system is of little use if there is no actual team to respond to calls for help,” Anthony noted.
Volunteers use their own money to purchase and upgrade walkie-talkies to communicate in real time. The devices rarely leave their sides.
Teamwork
The SCW volunteers take their roles very seriously. They meet up at least once a week to share information and also to foster good relationships and teamwork among themselves and with other crime watch groups.
“All residents are welcomed to join the SCW WeChat groups but if anyone wants to become a volunteer, he or she must meet the other volunteers face to face first so they can get to know each other.
“Volunteers must also undergo briefing and training for safety. We don’t want people trying to be heroes. We don’t know what the situation will be like when we respond to a call. We must make sure we are all on the same page and coordinated as a team. Teamwork is absolutely crucial,” Anthony explained.
To identify themselves as SCW volunteers, they wear vests when responding to a call for help and also carry walkie-talkies so that they can coordinate with other volunteers and respond in real-time to changing situations, he added.
The money to purchase these items have come out of their own pockets, with volunteers often spending more to upgrade the walkie-talkies and other equipment.
“Residents also have their part to play. They have to be alert and watch out for their neighbours and neighbourhoods. We encourage everyone to come for residents’ meetings and briefings so that we can keep in touch with each other, and also inform residents on what to do and how to coordinate with the volunteers if they spot suspicious people or activities,” Anthony said, encouraging people to get involved with their local neighbourhood watch.
“This group is to benefit everyone, so residents and volunteers must work together. The main objective is to stop crime before it happens and to discourage criminals from coming to Stapok,” Dennis added.
The volunteers emphasised they are not a vigilante group.
“We do not take the law into our own hands. But we also have to understand the police cannot be everywhere all the time. We have to do our part. It would be ideal if all zones and neighbourhoods have their own teams of volunteers made up of neighbours from that area as they can respond immediately instead of waiting for volunteers to arrive from elsewhere,” Anthony said.
Dennis highlighted the importance of lodging police reports so that official statistics will accurately reflect the situation on the ground and the authorities can respond accordingly.
However, he noted that some people were reluctant to make police reports, especially if the items stolen were not of great value.
Sometimes when a suspect was apprehended, the homeowner did not want to press charges and the suspect was let off the hook.
“If the suspect is charged, the volunteers and homeowners have to go to court, and some homeowners don’t want to go through all the trouble.
“Sometimes, the suspect will return and commit more crimes. It can be quite demoralising. That is why we focus on crime prevention because prevention is better than cure,” Anthony stressed.
Strength in unity
Anthony and Dennis estimate that SCW volunteers have managed to foil about 10 break-in attempts since the group was established. On three occasions, they also managed to apprehend the suspects and hand them over to the police as at time of interview (see footnote for update).
“The thieves and robbers have their own networks and word will get around quickly if a certain area is an easy target. I think our presence is definitely having an impact.
“After one incident where we caught a suspect, for almost one month, none of our members reported seeing any suspicious activity or people. We did hear of crimes happening outside our area, not within. But they (criminals) are always testing to see if there is an opportunity for them to come in,” Dennis shared.
The four SCW volunteers acknowledged that it had been hard work setting up and organising the group but they have learnt a lot from more experienced crime watch groups like the Jalan Urat Mata in Tabuan Jaya as well as contacts involved in the security profession.
Likewise, the SCW volunteers are passing the good deed on by also sharing their knowledge and experiences with other crime watch groups.
SCW is in the process of applying for Rukun Tetangga status as it will allow them to have access to greater resources and a wider contact network to carry out their crime-prevention objectives.
Anthony also hoped they could find a suitable venue to conduct training and serve as a centre for the group’s activities.
All four volunteers affirmed that being part of a neighbourhood watch group had fostered closer ties among the residents.
“It is definitely good for the community as it gives people the opportunity to know their neighbours and surroundings. When residents come for meetings, they get to know the people who stay nearby and they start to exchange contact information and to talk with each other,” Dennis said.
Those interested in joining SCW are encouraged to contact the group through their FB page Stapok Crime Watch at https://www.facebook.com/stapokcrimewatch
A policeman handcuffs a man suspected of theft before taking him into custody. The suspect was recently apprehended by SCW volunteers and the homeowner as he was hiding in a car.
Footnote:
A few days after this interview, thesundaypost got to witness the group in action firsthand. Neighbours spotted a man behaving suspiciously outside a house at 11pm and quickly alerted the SCW volunteers.
The group administrators requested for residents’ help to monitor his movements until volunteers arrived to investigate.
Meanwhile, the man who did not realise he was being watched, scaled over the front gate, appeared to grab something from the car porch, and climbed out again before quickly walking away.
Minutes later, the first of the volunteers arrived at the scene in their car, but the suspect was nowhere to be seen.
For the next hour or so, volunteers repeatedly criss-crossed through nearby neighbourhoods in their cars together with teams of volunteers on foot, as they attempted to flush out the suspect.
All the while, updates were being provided to members through the WeChat groups with residents nearby on high alert for any suspicious activities or people nearby.
Eventually, the suspect was spotted and he took off on foot with the volunteers in hot pursuit. He managed to climb over the gate of a nearby house to hide in a car parked in the porch.
Unluckily for him, the house owner decided to check his car and found the suspect. Together with the volunteers, the suspect was quickly apprehended. The police soon arrived to take the man into custody.
As the saying goes, many hands make light work. In this case, good teamwork between Stapok residents, SCW volunteers and the police reached a successful and safe conclusion.