A wake-up call for law and order

THE spate of gangland-related crime since the beginning of this year is now a full-blown concern for the public as well as the police.

The recent incidents beg the question of whether the underworld has become more brazen in carrying out criminal activities.

When CCTVs captured the da­ring raid in a Cheras entertainment centre on April 5, a video of the incident went viral overnight.

The video shows a group of 50 to 60 masked individuals launching a daytime attack on a karaoke outlet in Taman Shamelin Perkasa.

Police subsequently arrested 45 men aged between 14 and 57.

They believe these suspects are linked to an underworld gang with rivalry and revenge as the motives for the attack.

A day later in Ipoh, a 25-year-old man was hacked to death, also believed to be over a gang dispute. And on the same day in Klang, a security guard was beaten to death with a car steering lock after an altercation with a group of thugs drinking in the neighbourhood during his patrol.

Three separate incidents, all gang-related in the space of two days.

In all three cases, the police have apprehended suspects, but the public has the right to ask if these cases point to a surge in gangland-style criminal activity.

Preliminary probes in several of these cases point to organised crime elements – rival gangs settling scores over territory, drugs, or extortion rackets.

But those who are lamenting an absence of law and order are off the mark.

Police have responded with raids, intelligence operations, and charges under organised crime laws. The fact that syndicates are being dismantled and suspects rounded up shows that the machinery of justice is still functioning.

And experts note that much organised crime has shifted to “hidden economic networks” – scams, money laundering, and legitimate business fronts – rather than open street warfare.

Yet the brazenness of these public executions cannot be brushed aside.

When gunmen feel confident enough to strike in shopping malls, restaurant car parks and suburban streets in broad daylight, something is seriously amiss.

It suggests either intelligence gaps, under-resourced anti-gang units, or – worse – a perception among criminals that the risks are manageable.

Young recruits are reportedly being drawn into these networks, and old rivalries are flaring up again.

The public is right to be alarmed.

When ordinary citizens in Klang, Cheras or Seremban begin calculating whether it is safe to visit a restaurant or send children to the mall, trust in the system erodes.

Public safety is not a luxury; it is the foundation on which everyday life and economic confidence rest.

The police must not take this lightly.

Complacency or defensive statements about “isolated incidents” will only fuel anxiety.

What is needed now is a visible, sustained crackdown: intensified intelligence sharing across states, tougher asset seizures from gang leaders, community policing in hotspot areas, and swift prosecutions that send a clear message.

Root causes – poverty, unemployment, and the glamorisation of gangster culture on social media – also demand attention from both law enforcement and policymakers.

In the early 2000s, my hometown, Klang, was in the news for the wrong reasons.

Murder, armed gang robbery and other serious offences as rival gangs operated with impunity and organised crime led to violent episodes on a near daily basis.

The police hierarchy sent a crime buster to tackle this head-on.

He was entrusted with maintaining peace and order in the royal town and I remember the then Klang OCPD, A. Paramasivam, well.

He struck fear in the underworld and in just two years, the Klang police virtually wiped out organised crime.

His two-year tenure was remarkably successful in bringing down Index Crime, which in turn led to tremendous confidence in policing strategies.

Journalists with the Klang bureau at that time remember ACP Param’s mantra – “Work without fear or favour. Make objective decisions without emotion, based on the facts and based on the law.”

Klang is once again back in the news for the wrong reasons.

Residents have become jittery and no longer feel safe, even in broad daylight.

Just months ago, in early January, two gunmen on a motorcycle pulled up and executed a 43-year-old man in Taman Wangsa before speeding off.

The shooting, which police believe involves links to organised gangsterism, is part of a disturbing string of similar shootings in the area.

But our country has successfully curbed gangsterism before.

The public does not expect perfection, but it does expect resolution.

These recent gangland episodes are not merely crime statistics; they are warning flares. Ignoring them risks allowing the shadows of the underworld to lengthen across our streets.

The time for firm, uncompromising action is now – before fear becomes the new normal.