Political will, cooperation from all needed to make M'sia among safest countries in the world, says Lam Thye

KUALA LUMPUR: Political will and the cooperation of all Malaysians are required to achieve the goal of making the country among the 10 most peaceful nations in the world, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (pic).

The Alliance for Safe Community chairman said the goal, which was outlined in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) recently, is a very lofty ambition.

"It requires a lot of effort and political will to achieve such goals.

"It will also require the entire Malaysian community working together with the government," he said when contacted Wednesday (Sept 29).

Lee said awareness on crime prevention should be increased so that the people know how they could continue to reduce the opportunities for crime to occur.

"The people must also know how they can help in minimising access through surveillance around the home, businesses or even public places.

"Such work towards crime prevention requires the community and the police to work together to address issues relating to crime and reducing the opportunity for crime to occur," he added.

The police must also be properly equipped to tackle crime effectively, Lee said.

"I think the focus should also be on beefing up the police force in the 12MP and Budget 2022.

"I feel that the government should really make available resources to beef up the police force especially in tackling commercial crimes.

"For the past 18 months, traditional crimes have gone down due to the Covid-19 pandemic but digital crimes, especially online scams, have gone up.

"Thus, it is vital for the police to be given adequate equipment and training so that they can be one step ahead of the criminals," he said.

The welfare of the police force must also not be forsaken as well, Lee stressed.

"More should be done every year in terms of the welfare of police personnel, especially regarding maintenance of their quarters.

"Funds are required to ensure that police quarters are properly maintained so that the men and women in blue can focus on their duties instead of worrying about the condition of their homes," he said.

Lee said police personnel must also be given opportunities to improve their mental health.

"Due to the high risk nature of their duties, police personnel should be very mentally fit and strong," he added.