IGP: Klang is a royal city, not Colombian city

KLANG: This royal former capital of Selangor is not a city of Colombia, says the country’s top cop in responding to online sites that associated Klang with the South American nation notorious for crime.

“We want to set the record straight. Klang is a Bandar Diraja (royal city), not a Bandar di Colombia,” said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.

He revealed that the crime rate here was lower than two other Selangor townships – Gombak and Petaling Jaya.

Several portals have recently labelled Klang as “A City of Colombia” following a surge in crime cases such as robberies and car break-ins, particularly after a real estate agent was robbed and the video clip went viral.

“This is an isolated case but the sites used headlines like ‘Klang bandar di Colombia’,” he told reporters after a walkabout at the Pandamaran Market here yesterday.

Razarudin added that a series of operations with the focus on crime, drug-related activities and smuggling of migrants was conducted between Jan 15 and Feb 1 this year.

The goal was to erase the perception of Klang being a crime haven, he said.

On the crime rate this year, Razarudin said Gombak topped the list with the highest cases, followed by Petaling Jaya and South Klang.

“Last year, it was Gombak, followed by Kajang, Petaling Jaya and South Klang,” he added.

On Jan 30, Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, while attending a townhall session, said it was sad that the city was being likened to Colombia.

The session got heated after he questioned how politicians approved housing and commercial projects, which inadvertently caused security issues.

In response to a question, he said MPs should not complain when police had to issue fines to illegally parked vehicles at high-density areas.

Klang MP V. Ganabatirau, who took issue with the statement, said such matters were not under the purview of elected representatives.