Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Attempted Snatch Thieve Infront of Atria Post Office

Taday is my off day. I had many errand to do. After banking at Maybank near Atria, I drove forward to the post office and as usual i just doubled park to drop 2 mails into the mailbox. When I got back into the car, 2 Malay guys in a motor stopped besides my passenger side and peeped into the car. My instinct told me they were trying to snatch handbag. Luckily I didn't bring any handbag. They moved on and made a u-turn in front of the post office and travelled against the traffic in regardless the road surrounding Atria shops has been made single direction. These 2 guys were in jacket. The one who sit behind wore his jacket half way from his hand covering his lap. I think he probably has his tool or hammer under the jacket. I am 100% sure they were looking for targets especially women driver who leave their handbag next to the driver seats. All ladies please take extra pre-cautious. Please do not leave your handbag next to driver's seat, neither should you put under the passenger seats. There were cases that bags put under passenger seats also were snatched. I guess putting in the car boot is the safest while one is driving.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Security Update (5 March 2009)

We are now 1 week into the 2nd quarter of our security scheme!!

As mentioned in the last Security Update (17 Feb 2009) there are a number of further improvements that we have planned for our neighborhood. The major one that we are working on right now is the construction of 2 permanent guard houses (14ft length x 6ft wide) and electronic boomgates for both entrances. We believe that would be the best way we can secure our neighborhood. With the boomgates, the guards will be able to stop cars without stickers to ask where they are going and take down particulars. However, there are over 150 houses out of 690 houses that did not join our security scheme thus their cars will not have stickers but will still be going in and out daily. That will continue to be a pain and cause frustration among us paying residents. However, we have no choice but to allow them entrance. And yes, we are still trying to reach out to them to join our scheme and so far been able to secure 3 new members this quarter.

In order to able to hire the 12 guards, build the guardhouses, boomgates, etc and to keep this scheme going successfully, we have to be certain that we have the necessary support from all of you when going forward into the next few quarters. In the first quarter we had 540 residents who signed up. For this 2nd quarter, as of yesterday, we have so far only 194 who have paid up.

For this scheme to succeed we need everyone to come forward and show your support. So for those of you who have not paid up, please do so immediately.

Here are some payment options:
(1) Payment for 3 months (Mar/Apr/May) at RM150.00 total payable to either "Homeguard Assist" or " Sri Lara Joint Security Services Sdn Bhd" or "DJROA".
(2) Payment for 6 months (Mar to Aug) at RM300.00 total payable only to "DJROA"
(3) Payment for 9 months (Mar to Nov) at RM450.00 total payable only to "DJROA"

Our preference is for you to make checks payable as per the above with your name and house address written at the back of the check to ensure that we know who it is from. Please put the check in an envelope and pass it over to any of the guards at the guard posts or drop it into my mail box (143, Jalan SS22/27). We have also worked out how much DJROA is to return to the residents who joined the previous security scheme which terminated on 1st Dec and our this present scheme supercedes this. I wrote to these residents (on 17 Feb 2009) and many have reverted back to me to say they are donating that balance for our Zone B's infrastructure fund. Thank you very much to all the generous residents. We appreciate your generosity.

However there are still about another 100 of you who have yet to revert on what you'd like to do with this reimbursement. It would be much appreciated if you would revert back to me as soon as possible. Until we receive the proper instructions from you, we will hold this reimbursement.

On incidences that happened in the past month, here are some that were reported:
(1) Attempted break in to house on road 27, suspect it happened between Feb 9 and 20. The resident reported that he found the padlock ear of the metal grill to the front sliding door of his house cut. Also the sliding door lock has been pried open. However the burglars were not able to open the sliding door as the resident put a piece of wood along the slide railing. This is a very good lesson and I would encourage all of you with sliding door to add on this extra precaution. This piece of wood doesn't cost much and is very good at stopping the burglars from breaking in. When faced with this the only way for the burglar is to smash the glass door. We suspect that this happened before the grill on road 33 was put up.




(2) Maid problems - The guards have reported that there have been at least 2-3 maids who had attempted or managed to run away the last 2 months. Two were picked up by men on motorcycles. Our guard was also called to a house where the maid refused to work and was giving problems. Please note that there is not much our guard can do in this case but by showing up the maid knows that the authorities are taking note of her actions so hopefully that would scare her somewhat.

(3) House attacked by money lenders (Ah Longs) - A house of a non-supporter along road 32 was hit twice by who we believe were Ah Longs. The first time only red paint was thrown at the house gate and walls. The second time, it was red and black paint and 3 Molotov bombs. Our guards called the cops and also fire department who rushed to the scene.

As I have mentioned before, we should never take our family's safety for granted even with 24/7 guards. They are, at best, only deterrents. We must always be careful and constantly aware of our surroundings. With the guards, our neighborhood has become much safer than without. It is not perfect and there are much improvements to be made and we will do so with everyone’s continuous support. Our endeavor to assure the safety of the neighborhood and our families will not succeed if you do not play your part. So please help us help you by showing us your support in terms of contributing to the fees.

Thank you.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Security Update (17 Feb 2009)

Dear All,

By end of this month (February) our security scheme will be 3 months old. Here's a quick summary of what we've managed to achieve in the short 3 months:

  • Applied for and obtained approval from MBPJ for the security scheme which includes private security, closure of road 33 and back lanes, setting up 2 guard houses/posts, etc.
  • Managed to recruit a total of 540 residents’ homes to our scheme out of a total of 690 occupied homes.
  • Hired Homeguards to provide the 24/7 security for our zone, Zone B.
  • Set up 2 guard posts with total of 12 guards to date (4 guards x 3 shifts + 1 manager) with 1 cabin guard house along road 35.
  • Grilled up and secured road 33, back lane between road 31 and 29, and also the lane that leads to road 32 from the LDP.
  • Managed to reduce considerably incidents of car jacking, snatch thieves, house break-ins and robberies.

What we are planning to do next:

  • Build permanent guard houses at road 35 and 31.
  • Awaiting TNB to approve our application to have permanent electricity for the 2 guard houses.
  • Set up boom gate for both the entrances.
  • Evaluate cost of installing CCTV.
  • Further training of the guards by Homeguards so that they are more attentive.
  • Stop the KDU students from using our zone for parking their cars.

Major complaints by the residents:

  • Guards are not stopping ALL the vehicles without stickers.
  • Guards were seen sleeping.
  • Guards were not paying attention to vehicles going in and out, seen just chit chatting, on the mobile, sms, etc.
  • Some residents not happy that we have grilled up the road 33 and not allowing any access through it.

We have noted all your complaints and have brought it up with the management of Homeguards who have assured us that they will continue to train and monitor the performance of their guards. They asked for 1 month grace to get their guards up to speed with our expectations. We have agreed and will work closely with them and monitor their status/improvements.

On stopping of every car without stickers, realistically that would be rather difficult to execute all the time as there are more than 100 homes (x 2-3 cars per household) that still refuse to join our scheme and hence do not have car stickers. In addition, there are also many regular visitors who have not bought car stickers. If the guards do stop all the vehicles, it will most definitely result in a traffic jam as our roads are not made for such tight security checks. I've seen impatient residents trying to overtake stopped cars, even with oncoming cars. Accidents could happen and I've seen tempers flare. However, having said that, there is still much room for further improvements. Some of the guards have become complacent and not bothered to check often enough but just random checks. All these need to be improved on and rest assured that our committee is committed to seeing them improve on their deliverables.

We are now entering the 2nd quarter and time to continue the payments for this worthy endeavor. We hope you will continue to support this cause and not slack off. For this security scheme to succeed long term, we need your long term commitment.

Here are some payment options:

(1) Payment for 3 months (Mar/Apr/May) at RM150.00 total payable to either "Homeguard Assist" or " Sri Lara Joint Security Services Sdn Bhd" or "DJROA".

(2) Payment for 6 months (Mar to Aug) at RM300.00 total payable only to "DJROA"

(3) Payment for 9 months (Mar to Nov) at RM450.00 total payable only to "DJROA"

Our preference is for you to make checks payable as per the above with your name and house address written at the back of the check to ensure that we know who it is from. Please put the check in an envelope and pass it over to any of the guards at the guard posts or drop it into my mail box (143, Jalan SS22/27).

If you want the guards to come to your house to collect your check, please call 016 284 8798 and ask the supervisor to collect from you to pass it to me.

Do not pass any cash to the guards. We will not be responsible for missing cash.

For the first year, we will need to raise as much funds as possible so there will not be any discount even if you pay for the full year. However, for our 2nd year of operations, we will certainly consider bulk discount if we have sufficient revolving funds in the bank. I look forward to your continued support.

Thank you.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Secutiry Update as of Jan 16, 2009

Happy New Year to everyone.

We're now well into 2009. Since the 24/7 guard services started, I can feel that our neighborhood is much safer than before. There are much less incidents reported. That's exactly what we want to achieve. The most severe incidents reported were two attempted burglary, both along road 32. Fortunately the burglars were not successful. Most of the other incidents are minor and some of the domestic types. I've not heard of any snatching incidents or car jacking. I hope those will never happen here again. And a big thank you to all of you who have written in giving suggestions on improvements and observations on the attentiveness of the guards. We will try to incorporate your suggestions where possible.

I'm happy to report that as of today we have 535 residents who have signed up for our security scheme. There's 690 occupied homes in our zone, so yes, there's still quite a number out there who have not signed up for whatever reasons. We hope that they will change their mind and contribute to the success of this scheme. If you know of your neighbors who have not signed up (no green tag on their gates) please help us by convincing them to sign up too. This scheme benefits everyone living here.

Many of us are now getting ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year. I'm sure many of our neighbors will be going back to their kampung to be with love ones. It's assuring to know that our homes are much safer today than in the past. However, as a precaution, starting from 15 January to 14 February, for this one month period we have increased the number of security guards to 4 guards per shift, i.e. total of 12 guards to keep watch on our homes when we are away. They have been briefed to be even more attentive, suspicious and cautious with all vehicles going into our neighborhood, especially those claiming to visit friends or relatives.

If you are going to be away, I suggest you make use of Homeguards Tiger Eye service. Please call the Homeguards Call Center (03 3373 3994) and inform them of the dates that you will be away. The guards when they are on their patrol will stop by your house to check for any signs of intrusion. If they spot something amiss, they will call you right away to report it. Each time after they check on your house, they will drop a note into your mailbox to inform of the date and time they stopped by to check on your house. Also, if there are so called "visitors" who claims that they are there to visit you during the period you are gone, they will not be allowed into the neighborhood. This service is complimentary from Homeguards for us.

For those of you who will be holding parties in your house, please inform the guards of the date and time of your party so that your guest will not be inconvenient at the guard post. The guards can also direct them to your house.

Over the next few weeks, i.e. after CNY, we will be closing up permanently the entrance at road 33, currently with oil drums. We will put up a 9ft high fence to stop all from using it. However, during emergency the gates can be opened by the guards to allow for entry and exit. We will also erect a 9ft high fence at the back lane of road 31, i.e. after the houses of the two detractors. With that done, our neighborhood will be even more secure.

We are still awaiting TNB's approval to connect permanent electricity to the two guard post. We are currently depending on the very kind generosity of the two residents who have temporary allowed us to tap electricity from their house. A big thank you to Mr Lu (road 35) and Mr Lim (road 32) for their cooperation and generosity. It is truly appreciated.

Once the electricity is in place we will install electronic boomgates to the two post, starting with road 35 first. We are still trying to figure out the best compromise on how to erect boomgates for road 31. That is a bigger challenge and will need the cooperation of the residents living around road 31, 32 and 34. There will be inconveniences but I hope they will be willing to compromise and accept it.

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all our Chinese friends Gung Xi Fa Cai, Nien Nien Yo Yi, Wan Xi Ru Yi!

And to all other friends Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Secutiry Update as of Dec 19

As of today we have 495 residents who have paid up out of 690 occupied houses. When we did our earlier rounds campaigning, 593 or 86% said they support this idea. So right now residents who have paid up is at 72%. I hope that you can help us by talking to your neighbors who have not signed up (with no green gate tag) and encourage them to join. I also hope the 100+ residents that said they will support our security scheme will come forward voluntarily and sign up. This is for the good of the whole community. As much as I hope that we can get full support from all but unfortunately there will be a number of residents living among us that will not support this scheme even though it is benefiting them.

One of the services that Homeguards provides to us paying residents is Tiger Eye, where the guards will keep an eye out on your house when you are away e.g. for your holidays. The guards when they patrol the neighborhood will stop by your house take a look to make sure all is in order (no gate/doors/windows ajar or signs of intrusion) and drop in a note in your mail box to show what day and time they were at your house. So if you are going to be away for a few days and want this service, then call Homeguards call center (03 3373 3994) and inform them what are the days that you will be away.

In my last e-circular there was an error in a phone number as pointed out by a number of residents (thank you!). The correct emergency numbers for you to key into your mobiles and have ready next to your house or office phones are:

First number to call - 03 3373 3994 (Homeguards HOTLINE NBR)
Second number to call - 0162848798 (DD LINE FOR DJROA ZONE 3)
Third number to call - 0163373994 (DD LINE AT CALL CENTRE)


I've been asked to inform all residents (and their maids) who walks their pet dogs to please bring along a plastic bag and pick up your dog's poo so as not to stink up our neighborhood. I trust everyone don't like to step on shit. So please be considerate and do the right thing.

The guards have been instructed to stop all motorbikes, lorries and vans at the 2 guard posts. As for the cars they are doing it randomly at the moment. We have distributed the car stickers and more are coming back to purchase additional. Once more residents have the stickers up, it will be easier for the guards to just pay attention to the cars without stickers. Also, there are quite a large number of residents who have not/will not sign up to our scheme. They will not get stickers nor gate tag.

As of today, we have started implementing the Visitor's Pass where visitors have to display the A4 size laminated pass on their car dash board, motorcyclist given pass that they will wear around their neck, and guards will also take down their particulars including house they are visiting. This is for tighter control and warns the visitors that they are being monitored while in our zone. We'll try that out and see how that works. Problem is our entrance roads are very narrow and will cause congestion if all the cars are stopped, unlike neighborhoods that have been designed for gated security with wider roads and places to stop. Walk in individuals seems lesser of a threat at the moment but we will monitor the situation to see if that too needs to be addressed.

We will continue to highlight and improve with Homeguards to inform of the various complaints from the residents about inattentive guards, sleeping guards, etc and will continue to monitor their performance. So all your feedback is important to highlight to Homeguards of the various issues. But overall, there has been marked improvement in the security of our neighborhood. I do feel a lot safer and sleep better. Never the less we should never let our guard down and must always be alert for strangers in our neighborhood. Bad elements will find ways to penetrate any security schemes. Its our duty to look after ourselves, our loved ones and our properties. Having guards 24/7 is only a deterrent and not a 100% fool proof system.

We have applied to TNB for electrical supply to the guard house on road 35. Once that is approved, we plan to install boomgates there. As for road 31 where the detractors lives, we have to be cautious as last I heard they have consulted lawyers to try and stop our security scheme near to their houses. So far I've not received any notices yet. Once we are more certain that things have cooled down, then we will look into boomgates there.

Attach is an article in today's Star Metro's newspaper on DBKL demolishing boomgates in 4 housing areas. I hope MBPJ will not do that in PJ.

Meanwhile, we are thinking of closing entrance on road 31 from 12midnight till 6am daily. That means only entrance/exit during that 6 hours will be from road 35. That will tighten the security further at night. A guard will still be stationed at road 31 to monitor the situation. If you think its a bad idea, let me know. As for daytime, the guards and all of us have to be alert for potential intruders. Don't take our security for granted.

We will continue to improvise as best we can and improve as we go along so please have patience and help us by giving feedback. All feedbacks are welcomed. Thank you to all who have been giving us constant feedback. Do keep them coming.

Before I sign off, the security committee (kudos to them who have worked so hard for everyone!) and from Candy & I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2009 will be a Prosperous, Healthy and Safe one for All.