Sunday October 1, 2006
Fighting crime with SMS alerts
BY DHARMENDER SINGH
PETALING JAYA: Subang Jaya and USJ residents have come up with their own SMS alert system called the SJ Alert to jointly fight crime with the police and tackle issues affecting the local community.
The service, initiated by the USJ Residents Association (USJRA), issues alerts via SMS to registered subscribers on crime, emergencies, disruption of services and even community events in Subang Jaya, USJ and Putra Heights.
USJRA honorary secretary Eileen Cheah said the idea for the service was conceived as a result of the endless debates on the USJRA website over rampant car thefts, robberies and snatch thefts in Subang Jaya and USJ.
“The residents who frequently joined the discussion forums all agreed that one way to complement the police's effort to combat crime was to have a better information network.
“The service alerts residents almost immediately (after a crime is committed) to look out for suspicious looking people or vehicles in their area and inform the police. And what better way could there be than using the SMS which everyone is already so used to,” she added.
Cheah said one resident, Christopher Ng, started a personal SMS Alert for this group of concerned website forum visitors and within a few weeks, the group grew to about 200 people.
“The effectiveness was truly realised in July this year when a badly damaged Camry, used by the 'Camry Gang', was spotted and recovered by the police acting on information received through this support group,” said Cheah.
The success prompted the association to take the initiative a step further and in mid-August, carried out a soft launch for the SJ Alert.
To date, the service has about 1,900 registered members who reside in the area.
Cheah said support from local leaders like Subang Jaya assemblyman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, who donated RM5,000 towards the running of the service, had been crucial in getting the project off the ground.
She said the idea had been well received by the police and the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, had agreed to launch the initiative himself today.
Those interested can join as subscribers by visiting the website www.sjalert.com.my.
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