24-Hour Restaurants Should Hire Guards And Install CCTV

24-Hour Restaurants Should Hire Guards And Install CCTV

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- Restaurants operating 24 hours are encouraged to hire security guards at the business premises as a step to deter gang robbery.

Inspector-General of Police Secretariat assistant head (Corporate Communications) ACP Ramli Mohamed Yusoof said while the installation of closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) was also an important initiative in detecting criminal activity.

"Police cannot do patrolling in certain places for a long time as there are more other important tasks that should be made, apart from just to monitoring or focusing on the same locations," he said to Bernama.

Ramli said the police usually carried out periodic patrols, and the installation of CCTV and the hiring of security guards at their premises would help significantly in curbing crime.

He was responding to several armed gang robbery incidents at restaurants with the latest incident last Sunday when four men with machetes and axes robbed and attacked a food court at Jalan Relau, Balik Pulau, Penang, resulting in two customers sustaining injuries.

A crime analyst, Datuk Akhbar Satar who also agreed to the suggestions to hire security guards at the 24-hour premises, said the move would give long-term benefits to owners of the premises.

Akhbar said the cost factor in hiring guards should not be a problem to the premises as the move would give a great impact to the public while helping to ease the anxiety of the customers.

"Try these suggestions first for five to six months, and see the effects... continue it if the move gives positive results to the premises," he said.

A survey by Bernama found that some police officers were patrolling at popular public areas including the 24-hour restaurants.

Meanwhile, a tomyam restaurant owner, Roslina Nafi, 37, said her premises was robbed four times in a month and she was afraid to run her business until late at night but she was relieved that the police regularly patrolled the location.

Mariani Tan, 21, an employee of a food premises in Setapak, was facing anxious moments last year when criminals robbed the store and directed her and several customers to go to the back of the premises.

"The experience gave ??me a phobia to work at night. Although the money in cashier's machine is limited to RM150 during night time, I still fear for the my safety as well as that of my colleagues," she said.

-- BERNAMA