Residents at JB hospital quarters live in fear of break-ins

JOHOR BAHRU (Feb 1): Residents of the Sri Murni 2 apartments, a government quarters in Tampoi for employees of Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA), have been living in fear for the past eight years since the security guards manning the area were removed.

They said the guards were stationed at the security booth for the first two years after the residents moved in.

However, their services were stopped after that and since then, there had been break-ins and car thefts at the apartments.

A resident, who only wants to be known as Arsyad, 40, said besides rampant thefts and break-ins, the neighbourhood is also a haven for lovebirds to engage in immoral activities.

“These young couples are outsiders and they are brazen enough to carry out immoral activities in the abandoned security guardhouse," said Arsyad.

Arsyad said the residents had set up a Rukun Tetangga (RT) committee soon after they moved into the apartments and one of the objectives was to safeguard the neighbourhood from illegal trespassers and to curb immoral activities late at night.

“However, response from the neighbours was poor as only a handful was willing to sacrifice their time to patrol the area late at night," he said.

Another resident, Salleh Daud, 40, said that many residents were not in favour of hiring private security guards due to the cost.

“Our area is quite large and we need to employ at least three guards round the clock on a shift basis. Who wants to bear the cost?” Salleh, who worked at HSA's pharmacy division, asked.

Another resident, Lokman Jidin, 35, said there had also been cases where outsiders would boldly enter the premises to wash their vehicles, using the water supply from a nearby surau or the community hall.

Responding to the complaints, HSA director Dr Rooshaimi Merican A Rahim Merican said in a statement that the hospital’s management would not be employing a security guard for the apartments.

However, the management will request the Tampoi police to step up patrol in the area.

“It’s best for the residents to take turns and share the responsibility (of keeping the neighbourhood safe) together. I understand that they have set up a Rukun Tetangga committee but their programme to patrol the neighbourhood was shortlived," she said. -- The Malaysian Insider

Check out some properties in Tampoi by clicking here.