"I'm caught between the devil and the deep blue sea."
In the past two years Marcus Chan's house in the upper middle-class neighbourhood of Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) in Kuala Lumpur was broken into once, his air-conditioning compressor was stolen twice, once a burglar jumped into the compound and on another occasion, his car road tax was stolen.
Not long after that, a car almost identical to his, complete with the same number plate, appeared in the newspapers - as one of the pieces of evidence from a botched armed robbery.
Today, Chan's (left) air-conditioning compressor is chained and padlocked, and with 19 others in the neighbourhood security committee, he has convinced about 60 percent of residents in the Rahim Kajai-Aminuddin Baki area of TTDI to join a gated security scheme.
"As a taxpayer, on the surface it seems unfair for me to fork out money for this, but we need to address the problem first. We have no choice but to reduce crime so we that we can feel safe. Then everything about the environment will feel better, and we'll be happier."
According to the committee chairperson Adrian Ho (right in picture above), the average number of break-ins and loss of property in their TTDI locality between May 2011 and last May,was two a month.
"In the last two months, no break-in was reported. It shows that our scheme is working," Ho said.
The contributions to the security scheme from residents in the area totals RM25,000 a month - or a whopping RM300,000 year - and of this, RM22,000 of that goes to salaries of the security guards.
The rest is for maintenance of barriers, cones and guard sheds, plus electricity bill.
"We're thinking of setting up boom gates, but that would mean RM10,000 per guard post and CCTV cameras would cost RM10,000 for all three guard posts.
"We could ask residents to contribute to a one-time sinking fund of RM100 a household, but that would mean asking for money again," Ho said, cringing at the thought.
'I'll take out my gun if you bother me'
Every quarter, Ho and his committee members go door-to-door to collect fees and try to get those who do not subscribe to the scheme to participate as well.
Members of the security committee also spend about six hours a week to make sure the scheme is running and that the guards are working efficiently.
They also distribute police alerts on crime in the area to subscribers via email and make sure the guards work with the local police.
But not everybody is grateful. Ho said one resident threatened to take out his gun if the committee "continues to bother him" by encouraging him to join the scheme.
"He said he didn't need to take part in the scheme as he has a gun to protect himself."
Ho hopes that more people will take part so the scheme will have at least 10 percent in a buffer fund for emergencies - and also, so that contributors will not feel discouraged by the 40-odd percent of "freeloaders".
He feels a tax rebate can encourage more residents to join the neighbourhood security scheme and that if the government could give a RM500 tax relief for broadband connection, surely it could do the same for personal security.
"RM50 is not much, but there is an opportunity cost. I don't have an Astro connection and I could have used the money for that - but I value security more.
"This scheme has to work. If it doesn't, then the people will lose trust," Ho said, adding that two previous schemes had fallen through after the funds tapered out.
Can you trust your security guard?
According to Security Services Association Malaysia president Shaheen Mirza Habib, the demand for guarded communities has grown rapidly since the 1990s.
"There were 300 security companies five years ago. Today there are about 600," Shaheen said, and this does not include the unaccredited companies that have mushroomed to meet demand.
The Securiforce executive director said that most of the time, residents' associations could not come up with sufficient funds to hire legitimate guards and "private operators", mostly former personnel of registered companies, took advantage of this.
"The law only allows Nepali and local guards, and at the new wage rate, they are paid about RM8 per hour. Many residents association cannot afford this, so they opt for cheaper options, where the guards are foreigners, and this is in fact, illegal," Shaheen said.
According to Jonathan Kam of Total Securities Solutions, even those living in guarded communities are now opting to install alarm systems, CCTVs, and even systems that allow them to check on their house while they are away.
Checking on the home when overseas
"The CCTV footage can be viewed online, so even if they are in the United States, they can still check on their house in KL. There are also systems that can alert them on their mobiles of there is a security breach at their home.
"For an extra RM720 a year, their houses can be linked to a response team that will check on their house if the alarm is triggered, which is good for those who are away," Kam said.
In the security business for six years now, Kam said that in his earlier day, his customers were factories but in the past two years, there are more "small players" on the prowl, attacking houses and small offices.
"Crime is on the rise despite what we read in the papers, and more people are feeling insecure," he said.
In Bandar Kinrara, the security guards themselves, ironically, are a source of suspicion.
Resident Ye Choh Wah (right) said the guards began patrolling and offering their services without residents soliciting for such a service and this has become a cause of worry among those who chose not to subscribe.
"It actually seemed planned. Our neighbour's house was broken into when they were on holiday in Japan - so we don't want to show that we were going away.
"If we call for a taxi, it would pass the guard post and the driver would ask which house it was going to. And then the guard will see big bags being loaded and will know that the family will be away for a while," Ye said.
When his family planned a trip away from home, they thought of getting a taxi to wait a short walk away from their home and creeping out with their luggage. In the end, they drove to the airport and parked their car there.
Asked if he has become paranoid, Ye, who is careful not to accuse the guards of being responsible for the break ins, started laughing.
"I am (becoming paranoid)! Again, I don't know whether to laugh or to cry."
Private security bringing down crime?
The security post was not attended when Malaysiakini visited Bandar Kinrara that morning.
The police station in Puchong recently came up tops in a competition among police stations for efficiency in bringing crime rates down, while TTDI was named the model residential area for the safe city programme.
"Pessimistic" about the programme, Chan said that while he does not know for sure how many more police officers have been deployed to TTDI since the safe city programme launch last July, he feels the numbers have not been significant.
At the Rahim Kajai-Aminuddin Baki locality in particular, the programme has brought about flood lights for the playground and the damaged fencing, which separates the area from neighbouring Kampung Sungai Penchala, has been replaced.
Chan said there were a couple of police personnel stationed at an intersection where snatch cases were prevalent, but he has only noticed occasional patrols on motorcycle.
In the commercial area, which is a five-minute walk from the residential area, there are now CCTV cameras, safety mirrors and railings on the pedestrian walk to prevent snatch thefts.
"It does provide the first filter (of safety)," Ho admits, "but we cannot say conclusively whether we feel safer because of the safer city programme or because of our own security scheme."
At the very least, the father of two now feels safe taking his children, aged three and five, to the park.
However, Shaheen is certain that the security scheme efforts of the residents' associations have given the police a helping hand.
"Every other housing estate is guarded now, and this has contributed to the drop in the crime index," he said.
