A bag-ful of reasons for rising crime

NOV 2 — I came across an interesting news items in The Star that just begs to be shared, seeing as how many readers of various online news portals seem to prefer not to read mainstream papers.

The particular Associated Press (AP) feature which caught my eye was in StarBytz (The Star’s IT pullout) on October 30.

With a headline like “They’ll kill you for your phone” and the accompanying sub-head “Thefts of cellphone rising rapidly in the United States”, it reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend in Singapore a couple of months ago.

She was asking me about the reports on street crime in Malaysia, generally reported out of Penang, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Some of them are reported in Singapore newspapers, but for the most part, they are just spread via Facebook.

I told her it was not surprising, the rising crime, especially those affecting women — snatch thefts, smash-and-grab at traffic lights, carjacking — as well as restaurant robberies, affecting owners/customers.

Yes, snatch thefts occurred a lot before too, but the increase now, I added, could also be attributed to the booty (the material kind, not the one that Beyonce sung about) that await these thieves.

Back in the day, the “benefits” to the perpetrator would only be cash and maybe some short-term use of credit cards, when a criminal gets his hands on a woman’s bag. However, over the past two years, with the advancement of technology and gadgets, a bag’s contents is likely to include any one or more of the following — ultrabook, iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Samsung Note, iPhone or any number of tablet/note devices and smartphones in the market.

Let’s face it, almost everyone who is working today carries one or more of the above on them (pants or shirt pockets) or in a bag of some sort.

I will not go into the value of the bag itself, as it may not be perceptible to the perp, nor do I know of the demand for second-hand ladies’ bags from LV, Gucci, Coach, Burberry, etc. Besides, with the counterfeit market thriving, I doubt the bags will capture much interest.

Similarly, cars are not always the objective when they are stolen. The car is more likely taken to give the perps time to ransack it for the modern must-have gadgets as listed above, left behind prior to the owner being thrown out of the car.

It would seem that the scene is no different in the United States, and I would imagine other developed countries, too. As written in the aforementioned article in StarBytz, “thieves know that carrying such devices or a smartphone is like carrying US$500 (RM1,500) or more in your hands.”

The article went on to write about women getting their iPhones snatched while they were in mid-conversation in subway tunnels, on the streets, in buses, at bus stops, etc. In shock, few, if any, give chase.

The stats are staggering — recent records show that 40 per cent of all robberies in New York involve theft of smartphones and similar devices, while the number is reportedly 27 per cent in Los Angeles.

Taking all this into consideration, there is definitely some logical reason for the increase in crime over here too. The lack of police presence, prompt investigation and actions thereafter, while also to blame, are not the be-all and end-all to stopping these thieves.

Some preventive measures can work, such as what is advocated by public service announcements (PSA) on radio, advising women to keep their bags containing expensive gadgets concealed on the floor of their cars, instead of exposed on car seats.

Incidentally, one action taken in the US is to have all new smartphone/smart device owners register their phone/device with a legislated authority. That will enable their phone to be disabled when it is reported stolen.

But I foresee that such action would be effective only until hackers get in on the act, “cracking” any security code or “virtual lock” on the devices.

So, as long as the second-hand market for such devices, locally or in some less developed country, is thriving, thieves have more incentive nowadays to risk getting caught snatching a bag (sometimes causing injury to the victim) or smashing a car window, even in broad daylight.

To borrow a popular expression — when the buying stops, the “stealing” will stop too.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.