By Dyana Sofya, DAP’s candidate for Teluk Intan by-elections

I would like to express my deepest condolences to the friends and family of 69-year-old Sister Juliana Lim who passed away from her injuries arising from a snatch theft at the gates of the Church of Visitation in Seremban.

We hope that this heinous crime, which the Police have classified as a murder case can be solved in the fastest possible time, so that we can bring the ugly episode to a close and for justice to be served.

The violent crime also highlights the seriousness of the crime situation in the country leaving many Malaysians, particular the womenfolk fearful for their safety and security.

Based on the survey which DAP has commissioned 2 weeks ago in Teluk Intan, crime is a serious issue of concern to the voters in the constituency. “Crime and social problems” was the highest ranked 2nd issue of concern raised by those who replied to the survey.

Here, I would like to re-emphasize our party’s position for the Royal Malaysian Police to improve the professionalism and efficiency of the force, and to dedicate more resources to fighting crime in the country to curb the excessive amount of criminal activities in the country.

Despite having a police force of more than 120,000 personnel, less than 10,000 policemen and women are dedicated to fighting crime. Ironically, the number of Special Branch officers, dedicated to “protect” politicians like me numbers nearly the same as the Criminal Investigation Department.

What is however in greatest need for restructuring is the fact that more than 40% of the personnel are placed in “Management”, “Administration” and “Logistics”, while another 30% are assigned for security forces such as the Federal Reserve Units (FRU), Light Strike Force and the General Operations Force.

I would also like to inform the Teluk Intan voters that I will strongly call for the set up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct and Commission to ensure that the integrity and competence of the police force can be improved, and the rights of Malaysians are fully protected.