Beware of house break-ins during the festive season
MOHAMAD HISYAMUDDIN AYUB21 Apr 2023 09:36am
Selangor Police Chief, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said, although the crime rate in Selangor has decreased over the past five years, the indicator does not mean that criminal activities do not occur - FILEPIC
Selangor Police Chief, Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said, although the crime rate in Selangor has decreased over the past five years, the indicator does not mean that criminal activities do not occur.
He said break-ins usually occur, when a house owner is not alert of the safety levels in their surroundings.
"Opportunists will take advantage of home owners who are lax to conduct theft and break-ins
"Criminals who are involved in these break- ins usually consist of one or two people and are rarely from crime syndicates
" Police investigations have found that the modus operandi of these criminals is to inspect the location and residences abandoned by the occupants based on the condition of the house such as electricity bills that are not taken from the post box, newspapers that are left outside the house and others," he told Sinar recently
He said, houses that have been targeted will be invaded through windows, back doors or roofs at night until the wee hours of the morning. He said, among the items that criminals prioritize are jewellery, personal items such as laptops, mobile phones and watches in addition to cash.
Hussein elaborated that a total of 2,415 house burglaries were reported in Selangor last year, resulting in a loss of almost RM22 million.
"During that period, a total of 1,032 people were arrested, consisting of 955 men and 77 women," he said.
He added that for the three months of this year since January, a total of 615 cases were reported involving losses amounting to RM73,000 with the arrest of 270 people including 20 women.
"Usually the women involved in this crime are lovers of the suspect or family members.
"This woman plays a role in getting money from the leasing of goods at the pawnshop premises," he said.
Asked about the involvement of foreigners in the crime, Hussein said the number was low, about less than 20 percent.
He explained that foreigners who were arrested for housebreaking were 174 people in 2022 while 55 people were arrested for the three-month period this year.
Therefore, as a safety measure when leaving homes, he urged residents to inform their nearest neighbors.
"One of the security measures is to temporarily stop ordering newspapers while you're away, and make sure the house is locked,additional measures of installing closed circuit cameras (CCTV) is also encouraged," he explained.
