'Man and tech' to combat shooting spree in Penang - Lim Guan Eng

The Penang Government responded today to the recent multiple shooting cases by saying that it was willing to lend resources-- including manpower and technology-- to the police to jointly combat escalating crime.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that he has ordered the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Perai Municpal Council(MPSP) to install an additional 70 CCTVs and 55 CCTVs, respectively, by the end of the year.

This increase of 125 CCTVs would cost an additional RM3 million, on top of maintaining the existing 60 CCTVs in MPPP and 44 CCTVs in MPSP.

Admitting that there are insufficient number of police personnel to monitor the increased CCTVs round-the-clock, Lim said the state government has offered to employ-- at its own expense-- staff to do the monitoring.

“This will allow uniformed personnel to perform their core duties of patrolling the streets to keep the public safe from crime,” he said.

However, Lim also said that the most effective crime prevention is through community policing and co-operation.

“Not only must the public offer information to the police, but they must also be willing to lodge police reports despite the inconvenience of doing so. This is necessary to ensure accurate records of crime incidents.”

He said that state is also establishing the Voluntary Patrol Teams(VTP) to conduct community policing on their own housing estates, flats and kampongs.

Lim said he has contacted the Penang police this morning over the matter and was told the police is doing all it can to be on top of the situation.

The Penang government's concerns follows three separate incidents in the state over the past two days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri:

Aug 8 - Six shots were fired at a bungalow of a businessman in Pulau Tikus. No one was injured.

Aug 8: A man was shot more than 10 times by an unknown assailant when he stopped at a traffic light on Jalan Anson at 11.30am. K. Veerapan, 37, died at the scene.

Aug 9: A man wearing a crash helmet fired several shots at a bouncer outside an entertainment outlet at 12.50am in Jalan Datuk Keramat. The bouncer, Chong Peng Meng, 43 was injured in his thigh and is in hospital.