While many residents were away during the festive season and feeling energized after coming back from their holidays, some residents are still reeling from the trauma of crime experienced, as the year came to an end.
This follows the Laudium Sun receiving a number of complaints concerning incidents of crime that took place towards the end of the year, with residents saying that both the local police and the CPF Patrollers were hardly seen on the streets, seemingly that they were also away on holiday.
In yet another incident of crime that took place within a security gated street, a home on Himalaya Str, Laudium, was ‘visited’ by thieves on Tuesday afternoon just before the new year. Brazen thieves managed to enter the gated street in broad daylight without being noticed by the security guard at the gate and then even left freely, after stealing the gate motor from the property, while the owner of the house, Zahida Carrim, was not at home.
Zahida told the Laudium Sun, “I was not at home when the theft occurred. I left my home earlier and when I returned at around 2:30pm, I immediately noticed that something was wrong, as I found my gate open. After checking further, I was surprised to see that our gate motor had been stolen. Based on the time I returned home, I believe the theft must have occurred at around 2pm. This incident has left me extremely upset and worried. The gate motor is a very important part of our home security and without it, our property was left completely exposed. It is also very expensive to replace the motor and this has now become an unnecessary expense that I have to endure. At this time of the new year, it is very difficult to deal with such losses due to theft. Besides the theft taking place in broad daylight, what makes this situation even more concerning is that Himalaya Street is a well gated security area. There is a security guard monitoring the area, yet the theft still took place. This raises serious concerns about safety and the level of crime in our area. It feels as though crime is escalating and thieves are not even afraid to commit such acts openly. I find it deeply troubling that something like this can happen so easily. It gives the impression that criminals are not afraid of anything and believe they can do and take whatever they want without consequences. This has affected our family’s peace of mind and with this new year and new hope, we still feel very unsafe in our own home. I now feel so anxious whenever I need to leave my house, knowing that our property can be targeted at any time. The damage caused by the removal of the gate motor has added to my stress. Apart from the financial burden, the emotional impact has also been heavy. No one should have to experience such fear and frustration, especially when living in what is supposed to be a secure area. There is an urgent need for better law enforcement and more visible police patrols in our area. Strong action is required to prevent further incidents and to restore a sense of safety. I hope that by speaking out, attention will be drawn to the seriousness of crime and that steps will be taken to protect law-abiding people from becoming victims of crime.”
Abdul Kader Abed of Himalaya Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I firmly believe that the people who are roaming around our street under the pretense of doing small jobs are the ones observing whose house to target. They are likely part of a larger syndicate. Otherwise, how would criminals know which houses are easy to target and who is at home or not? I think as a community, we need to look after ourselves and inform our neighbours whenever we are going away. We cannot rely on the police or local CPF patrollers, as they are doing very little to prevent crime. It is becoming clear that residents have to be more vigilant and take responsibility for their own safety.”
Tasneem Khan, also of Himalaya Street, told the Laudium Sun, “We have paid for this street gating system to be in place and there are security guards, but crime does not seem to be stopping. I am speechless that all this crime is still happening right under the eyes of the gate security guards, who seemingly do nothing, apart from sitting on their chairs. The security company of these guards is also supposed to be having a patrol vehicle coming into the gated area regularly, but this is not happening.”