When gang turf wars go public

A NEW Inspector-General of Police is expected to take office today and amid his many heavy responsibilities, the rise in shooting cases needs his quick attention.

There is growing public concern over the surge in gun-related violence in the Klang Valley and the new IGP is going to have his hands full dealing with turf wars and gang rivalries that have mushroomed.

On Tuesday, a gangland-style shooting by masked gunmen in a Cheras mall left two people dead.

Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants, wearing black ski masks and motorcycle helmets, ambushed the two victims shortly after midnight as they were walking to their car.

Police believe it was a targeted hit as seconds after the shooting, the gunmen disappeared into a waiting car.

Just a few days prior to that, in scenes similar to those in Hollywood or Hong Kong movies, two men on a motorcycle pulled up to a restaurant in Brickfields, rushed in, opened fire and escaped immediately after that.

One man died and two others were injured in last Friday’s shooting. CCTV footage of the incident has gone viral on social media.

It would not escape the notice of the cops that the shooting took place a few hundred metres from the Jalan Travers police station.

Police launched a manhunt after the Cheras incident but, as at the time of writing, have not made much headway in both investigations.

Investigators, however, believe that both shootings were not random acts and are potentially tied to ongoing gang rivalries.

Speaking to the media, Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Isa sought to allay fears that the city had become a battleground for criminal elements.

“I’d like to emphasise that these shootings stemmed from issues beyond the KL police contingent’s purview,” he said, adding that those in Kuala Lumpur do not have to be worried about their safety.

He explained that in the case of the Cheras shooting, both victims had criminal records and had just arrived from Sibu whereas the Brickfields murder is believed to be linked to a feud between criminals in Selangor.

Outgoing Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain echoed Rusdi’s remarks, saying following the incidents, the Kuala Lumpur police have intensified patrols and operations to ensure continued public order.

But despite these assurances, it is still a worrying concern that criminal elements have resorted to murder to remove rivals.

And these gunmen appear to act with impunity.

Early this year, residents in Johor Baru were shocked at the brazen killing of a 40-year-old man who was gunned down at a restaurant in broad daylight.

It should be noted that in Malaysia, the possession of unlicensed firearms carries the death penalty.

But despite this strong deterrent, gun violence continues to rear its ugly head.

So just how are these hitmen getting their weapons?

In February, The Star published an expose on how porous borders, especially at the Thai-Malaysia border, have enabled and made easy the smuggling of firearms into the country.

The report quoted Datuk Mohamad Anil Shah Abdullah, a retired senior police officer who said smugglers use crates filled with other goods to slip in illegal firearms. These crates are then smuggled into the country undetected.

He said despite tight enforcement, the sheer number of goods passing through borders each day can result in subtle signs of such concealment slipping through the cracks and being missed during inspections by authorities.

“Often, guns are found in the shipment of drugs; the syndicates are aware that they have nothing to lose as both carry heavy penalties.

“The guns can be either smuggled wholly or in parts as they are easily assembled and disassembled.

“To avoid detection, the firearms are smuggled in small numbers with legal items that are being transported across the border,” he added.

Malaysian authorities are of course aware of the illegal shipment of firearms at the Thai border, and this was one of the reasons why the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency was formed and began operations last year – to further fortify security at borders.

The agency was led by Datuk Seri Hazani Ghazali as its first director-general and has over 6,000 employees.

Hazani was a former top cop whose last post was as Internal Security and Public Order director in Bukit Aman.

The irony is that just one year into this vitally important posting, Hazani retired.

Since February, a replacement has yet to be found.

Yes, our border protection agency has been operating without a head for the last five months.

It is mind-boggling that the authorities have allowed this position to be vacant for so long.

I am sure we have experienced crime fighters in the police force who can be seconded to this role.

Failure to restrict the availability of weapons handicaps our police force.

Stopping the flow of firearms into the country should be of paramount importance; we do not want armed gunmen waging turf wars on the streets of our cities.

The perpetrators of these heinous crimes must be brought to justice. But more than that, our borders must be secured to ensure criminal elements do not have access to firearms.