Lost Anything Recently?

If not, YOU WILL.

Though the police department tries to prove their usefulness to the public with their statistics, Sabah is not a safe place anymore. I do not know how they calculate the figures. But robbery and thieving are no longer something that I only read in the newspaper. It actually happens nearby and become part of our life. I believe EVERYONE was a victim at least once.

Below are the favourite targets of the thieves:

Target #1. Shoe Rack
Many houses have a shoe rack just outside their door. Some even hang the shoes on the fence for drying. Stealing branded sport shoes is always the MOST favourite activity of the thief coz it is low risk and takes less than a minute. If people see them attempt to steal, they just say they are jalan-jalan and walk away. If they manage to steal the shoes, usually very few victims will report to police coz it is not worth the trouble.

Target #2. Coins
There is no more free parking in Kota Kinabalu. You must have prepared a lot of coins in your car. But do not put them in the visible spot. Last time I had a friend who parked his car behind the Wisma Gaya. He left only a few Ringgit in his car and the thief broke his car window to steal it. It is still a pain in his chest. Everytime talking about this, he would say, “Haiya..! They wanted the money why didn’t they tell me lah. I would give it all to them. Why broke the window?!” And do not leave your bag, no matter got money or not, in your car. You are only asking for trouble.

Target #3. Handphone
Your handphone is guaranteed gone if you leave it unguarded in an open area. It is a bad idea to leave it on the table, like how you leave your umbrella. I got a friend whose car was broken down. There were many guys came and helped her. When she was so happy and thought that she was too attractive, she found that the handphone in her car was missing. Obviously it was stolen by someone “helpful”. I could not help laughing loudly when she said she had given that person RM10 tip for helping her to start the car.

Target #4. Handbag and Jewellery
This one I don’t need to say much. Just stay alert and hold your bag tight all the time. I think in KK not many people dare to wear expensive jewellery walking on the street. If your handbag snatched by motorcyclist, it is because you make yourself looks like a good target.

Target #5. Laptop / Computer Notebook
“I put my laptop in the boot. They won’t see it so my laptop is safe” Wrong! According to a report in Computimes, the thief can use a device to scan your car, your computer will pick up such frequency and respond by emiting electro-magnetic signal. Don’t think thief cannot afford a tech gadget..

In addition, your houses have high chance of being robbed / borken into, if…

1. There is a renovation project or construction area nearby your house (80% chance).
Very soon you will hear that someone’s house is broken into. They will even observe your schedule such as time not at home, time go out to work. If you walk out of the car to close the gate every morning, they will wait for you outside to rob you. This was what happened to my neighbour.

2. Your house do not have a big dog (50% chance).
If stranger play play and make friend with your dog, be careful. They try to test your dog. Tell you. My house got three Rottweilers but still got broken in last year. We lost a VCD player and a few bottles of wine. Anyway, my dogs still managed to chase away the thieves a few times (we heard our dogs barking and saw the thieves running away). Make sure all your windows downstair got iron bar (but it would become a trap in a fire).

3. Your house is near to illegal squatter (90% chance).
Needless to say, your houses are convenience store to them. I had heard that policemen did not dare to go into the squatter area to investigate. Want to report to police after the incident? Forget it.

4. As long as the conditions above don’t change, you will have the HIGHER chance of becoming a victim AGAIN.
It is death wrong to think they only come once. If they manage to steal from your house once, they will come back again and again until you improve the security. Since they are already familiar with your house, next time they would eat and sh*t in your house. You have been warned.