Tuesday, February 20, 2018

No Big Issue to Whack Security Guard

A security guard, working on Chinese New Year’s day when most Chinese would be celebrating, is manhandled. And the matter is settled with RM200. A few Rela men are manhandled by a Datuk Seri who had parked in the wrong place. He offers RM10,000 to settle the matter. The cops and the MACC step in. Two similar events, two different scenarios. While the Datuk Seri issue happened some time ago in Ampang, in Selangor, the issue of the 60-year-old female guard happened this Chinese New Year.
She chose to work as she was single and staying alone in a rented room but was slapped, kicked and pushed by three men at a condominium in Bandar Baru Ayer Itam in Penang. She did not allow a car to go past the guardpost since the driver did not have an access card. Visitors have to use a different guardpost after registering their particulars.
The driver refused to budge and insisted on using the gate. Two men related to the driver then joined him in assaulting the guard. CCTV footage went viral showing the guard being slapped and pushed by the group of men.
The guard subsequently lodged a police report accompanied by an officer from the security company and three representatives of the condominium residents’ ad-hoc group. One of the representatives was also shoved in the incident.
However, the guard withdrew the police report within four hours without consulting her employer. She was paid RM200 for her troubles.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Anuar Omar in a statement said the victim had been satisfied with the RM200 “compensation”. ACP Anuar said the guard had admitted that she had provoked one of the suspects. “The issue and case is considered resolved. There is no need to make a big issue out of it,” he said.
Her employer Dinesh Singh of I-Hawk Security in a WhatsApp message said he felt betrayed by the action of the guard.
She told Dinesh she withdrew the report after the son-in-law of the senior citizen apologised to her, saying his father-in-law was drunk.
Was justice served? Is it a norm for such cases to be settled like that?
The incident throws light upon how residents treat their guards. Some refuse to follow rules and want certain “privileges” just because they complain loudly or have triad connections.
There is an ongoing court case in Penang where two residents of a flat in Tanjung Tokong, Penang, have been charged with attacking their management committee member with a knife.
They had been under the impression that he was in charge of the building management.
It is becoming hard to impose access card and parking rules because some unit owners have two or more cars. Or they kick up a fuss when their car is clamped for parking at non-designated areas. Instead of merely complaining, some go a step further by resorting to violence.
Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation Penang chapter chairman Datuk Seri Syed Jaafar Syed Ali said the guard should not have withdrawn the report since it was a criminal case.
“Why did she do it? Was she threatened?” he asked.
But all is not lost. Penang Chief police officer Datuk A. Thaiveegan said he has directed ACP Anuar to open an investigation paper.
“I have no tolerance for thugs and bullies,” he said.
Let’s hope justice will prevail finally.

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