JOHOR BARU: Gas cylinders, cash boxes, cooking utensils and mobile phones – these are among the items stolen from petty traders at night markets here.
Md Izam Ibrahim, who runs a drink stall in Pasir Gudang, said that while such incidents were rare, they affected the traders’ livelihoods.
“We sometimes leave our items at the market and lock them up to make it easier to set up the next day.
“Unfortunately, it’s not always a safe option as there have been several thefts. I lost a gas cylinder I left at my stall earlier this year.
“Other traders have also been affected by these petty thefts, including one who lost his cash box,” he said in an interview.
Md Izam, who is also Belatuk Petty Traders Association chairman, said no cases were reported in recent months after the Pasir Gudang City Council decided to leave the spotlights in the market on until morning.
“Previously, we reached out to the city council about the thefts, and they decided to help by keeping the spotlights on until 7am the next day.
“This seems to have helped, as there have been no incidents for the past few months.
“For now, the spotlights may be adequate, and there’s no need to install CCTV cameras. But if the problem happens again, we may have to revisit the idea,” he said.
Meanwhile, Johor Baru Bazaar Karat Development and Welfare Association president Fuad Rahmat said there have also been cases of personal items being stolen during busy hours.
“Things that often go missing are traders’ personal items, such as mobile phones, and it happens quite often.
“These incidents usually occur when traders are busy attending to customers and accidentally leave their personal belongings unattended.
“For now, we have no plans to install CCTV cameras as they are quite expensive but some traders have taken the initiative to install their own CCTV,” he said.
