KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - More communities are resorting to putting up boom gates and hiring security guards in an effort to check the rising crime rate in their neighbourhoods.

While the move, generally, has the support of the majority, some residents are irked by it as they say it is an inconvenience.

Those who are against the setting up of guarded communities said it was the duty of the police and other authorities to ensure the safety of the neighbourhoods.

Many claimed that security guards hired to patrol the areas had no right to stop them from using a public road, which sometimes serves as a shortcut. They also said that the guards had no right to ask for their identification documents.

SS19/1 Residents' Association secretary Mohd Noh Samik said residents have no choice but to have a guarded community after frequent occurrences of snatch thefts in the neighbourhood.

"There were cases almost every other day as there was no restriction on vehicles going through our neighbourhood. Some of them use the residential roads in our area as shortcuts to other areas," he said.

Noh said the association has set up four guardhouses around SS19/1, which has 640 houses. The area has been divided into two zones for security guards to patrol on motorcycles every 20 minutes.

From midnight to 6am, lanes going into the neighbourhood are reduced to one and vehicles without stickers are only allowed in after their car registration numbers had been recorded.

Most residents pay between RM100 and RM200 a month for the services of the guards but to them, the money is worth it as they have peace of mind.

Noh said since the implementation of the guarded community project, there had hardly been any snatch theft cases.

Subang Jaya municipal council president Datuk Adnan Mohd Ikshan said almost all neighbourhoods within its jurisdiction had been given the green light to implement the concept.

Although several are deemed "illegal", Adnan said the council had refrained from tearing down the structures as long as they did not cause a friction between residents who were in favour and those who were against it.

Bandar Sri Damansara Residents' Association president Ravindran Raman Kutty said the rising number of robberies, petty thefts and burglary prompted the residents to take action.

"Areas like Margosa, Kenanga, Saga, Chempaka, Ara, Damar and Tanjung are guarded 24 hours. We only have one exit and one entry into our township," he said.

Ravindran said the public residential roads were barricaded after 11pm and car stickers were given to residents. Visitors are required to stop and identify themselves at the guardhouse.

The crime index, he said, had dropped by 80 per cent since the concept was implemented.

Jalan Datuk Sulaiman residents' association also implemented the guarded concept recently to curb crime. Chairman Mokhtar Md Yasin said they worked closely with Kuala Lumpur City Hall's branch in Taman Tun Dr Ismail to ensure that they did not break any laws.

Rules of gated, guarded living

The guidelines for gated and guarded community in Selangor are based on conditions spelled out by the state Housing and Property Board. They are:

- Neighbourhood representatives must register their residents' associations with the Registrar of Societies.

- Eighty per cent of residents must consent to the setting up of a gated and guarded community.

- Boom gates are allowed to be closed only from midnight to 6am daily and security guards have no power to stop a vehicle from going into an area.

- Residents are not allowed to build fences around the neighbourhood without seeking a written permission.

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