GEORGE TOWN: A recent case of a woman whose handbag was stolen from a shelf in her toilet cubicle while she was answering the call of nature has got people talking.
However, Penang Crime Consciousness and Public Safety Society chairman Datuk Mohamad Anil Shah Abdullah said cases of thieves snatching bags from public toilet booths were not new and had happened in the past.
“It does not happen often but when it does, it is traumatic for victims.
“The main issue is the design of the toilets. The cubicles’ partitions do not go up to the ceiling. This design factors in emergencies for people to access locked cubicles, such as in the case of a fire.
“A suggestion would be to lower the hooks and shelves for people to put their things while making it difficult for someone to reach these from outside,” he said.
In the case that has gone viral on social media, the woman was using a public toilet at a petrol station in Juru, Penang.
She was said to have placed her handbag on the elevated shelf behind the toilet seat, from where it was nicked.
Mohamed Anil said he had even heard of men losing their trousers that were hooked at the door while they used the toilet.
Thieves would reach in over the top of the door and grab the trousers hanging there, he added.
Accountant Nabilah Jamal, 34, said she would always look around and check who else was in the toilet before locking herself in a cubicle.
“As I do not want to dirty my bag, I hang it on the hook but honestly, there is always that fear even when the toilet is filled with people.
“If there is a shelf, I do feel it is safer, but it would be nicer if it’s at eye level rather than behind me,” she added.
B. Premala, 65, said she usually slings her bag over her shoulder for safety when using public toilets.
“There are times when I hang it on the door hook, especially at shopping malls and when I have a few bags,” said the retired teacher.
Legal adviser T. Jaya, 29, said she would try to use a cubicle next to an empty one.
“I have heard many horror stories, especially at highway rest areas” she said.
