The Federal Territories Gerakan is pledging support for the Cabinet’s recent approval of a working paper to streamline guidelines for gated and guarded communities.
Its anti-crime and public safety bureau chief, Lim Teck Ang, said they supported the policy because gated communities had helped to lower the crime rate in residential areas like Taman Segar, Taman Megah and Taman Bukit Maluri Kepong.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung announced several days ago that the guidelines would only be implemented after they were considered by the National Council for Local Government, in a meeting to be chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister on Aug 26.
Lim said Federal Territories Gerakan had also drafted a paper last year listing various crime prevention measures to be included for a gated community, based on feedback received from different residents associations.
“In 2008, we received complaints from a few residents associations that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) went to demolish their guardhouses.
“Since then, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has been concerned and even met the previous Kuala Lumpur mayor to stop further demolition of the structures.
“The then mayor agreed that no more guardhouses will be demolished until the government comes up with guidelines,” Lim said during a press conference.
Federal Territories Gerakan youth chief Lau Hoi Keong hoped that once the guidelines were implemented, the DBKL could relax the ruling a little for existing guardhouses, like the design aspect.
“New developments will have to abide by the guidelines, but for existing gated and guarded communities, we urge the DBKL to be more lenient in their enforcement,” said Lau.
He said the guidelines must also take into consideration residents without car stickers who do not subscribe to the gated and guarded scheme.
“There were times when non-subscribing residents faced difficulty entering into their own housing estate because the guards either did not let them through without the stickers, or wanted their identification,” he added.
They also proposed for a yearly allocation to be channelled to local councils so that the respective RAs could upgrade their security facilities and features, adding that the budget would require the coordination between the Home Ministry, Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Federal Territorries and Urban Wellbeing Ministry.
Lim said FT Gerakan would be setting up 10 service teams to provide help and advice to the RAs on problems faced with regard to the forming of gated and guarded communities.
“We will continue to study the guidelines once they are implemented with a possible briefing to be conducted for all Kuala Lumpur RAs,” he said.
Lau said with the guidelines drawn up, security and crime prevention, however, should not be passed on to the residents. The police, he said, would still need to patrol these areas.
He hoped the guidelines would require only 70% of consent from residents in the area for the scheme to be implemented.
He said this was because there were bound to be about 20% of residents in a particular area who were unwilling to pay the subscription fees.
He added that the current 85% consent set by the Selangor government was high and many RAs had difficulty starting the scheme.
“The guidelines have to also address the legal aspect of public roads that are blocked by boom gates and fencing.”
The FT Gerakan human resources and training bureau head Ong Siang Liang said even where there was 100% consent by residents for the area to be gated, it could be implemented only with the condition that there were no public amenities like schools, mosques or fire brigade in the neighbourhood.
The FT Gerakan also proposed for several measures to complement the gated and guarded scheme.
“The local authority should put up CCTV cameras, ensure that streetlights are bright and working, and trim trees to prevent blind spots,” Ong said.
Its anti-crime and public safety bureau chief, Lim Teck Ang, said they supported the policy because gated communities had helped to lower the crime rate in residential areas like Taman Segar, Taman Megah and Taman Bukit Maluri Kepong.
Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung announced several days ago that the guidelines would only be implemented after they were considered by the National Council for Local Government, in a meeting to be chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister on Aug 26.
Lim said Federal Territories Gerakan had also drafted a paper last year listing various crime prevention measures to be included for a gated community, based on feedback received from different residents associations.
“In 2008, we received complaints from a few residents associations that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) went to demolish their guardhouses.
“Since then, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has been concerned and even met the previous Kuala Lumpur mayor to stop further demolition of the structures.
“The then mayor agreed that no more guardhouses will be demolished until the government comes up with guidelines,” Lim said during a press conference.
Federal Territories Gerakan youth chief Lau Hoi Keong hoped that once the guidelines were implemented, the DBKL could relax the ruling a little for existing guardhouses, like the design aspect.
“New developments will have to abide by the guidelines, but for existing gated and guarded communities, we urge the DBKL to be more lenient in their enforcement,” said Lau.
He said the guidelines must also take into consideration residents without car stickers who do not subscribe to the gated and guarded scheme.
“There were times when non-subscribing residents faced difficulty entering into their own housing estate because the guards either did not let them through without the stickers, or wanted their identification,” he added.
They also proposed for a yearly allocation to be channelled to local councils so that the respective RAs could upgrade their security facilities and features, adding that the budget would require the coordination between the Home Ministry, Housing and Local Government Ministry and the Federal Territorries and Urban Wellbeing Ministry.
Lim said FT Gerakan would be setting up 10 service teams to provide help and advice to the RAs on problems faced with regard to the forming of gated and guarded communities.
“We will continue to study the guidelines once they are implemented with a possible briefing to be conducted for all Kuala Lumpur RAs,” he said.
Lau said with the guidelines drawn up, security and crime prevention, however, should not be passed on to the residents. The police, he said, would still need to patrol these areas.
He hoped the guidelines would require only 70% of consent from residents in the area for the scheme to be implemented.
He said this was because there were bound to be about 20% of residents in a particular area who were unwilling to pay the subscription fees.
He added that the current 85% consent set by the Selangor government was high and many RAs had difficulty starting the scheme.
“The guidelines have to also address the legal aspect of public roads that are blocked by boom gates and fencing.”
The FT Gerakan human resources and training bureau head Ong Siang Liang said even where there was 100% consent by residents for the area to be gated, it could be implemented only with the condition that there were no public amenities like schools, mosques or fire brigade in the neighbourhood.
The FT Gerakan also proposed for several measures to complement the gated and guarded scheme.
“The local authority should put up CCTV cameras, ensure that streetlights are bright and working, and trim trees to prevent blind spots,” Ong said.
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