Police Chief: 'Stop texting me crime reports'

Link: Daily Express, Sabah, Malaysia — News Headlines

There’s been a few services launched recently that allow you to text a non-urgent crime report or tip-off to the police. Most of these involve some kind of automated system and tracking – however in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, things are a little different.

City Police Chief ACP Ku Chin Wah has apparently been giving out his personal mobile number for concerned citizens to text him. However, he’s been rather overwhelmed with texts, meaning he can’t always respond straight away.

The Chief said: “The public must call the city police hotline number instead of (calling or) texting to my mobile over a crime or any emergency because I will only check that phone when I am free […] so it would not be a good idea to report a crime that needs the police’s attention right away”.

The article cites an example where a 49 year old man in Luyang sent Ku a text to report a break-in at his property on Tuesday. Although the text was received at 10.26pm, he didn’t get a chance to read it until around 12.30am.

This appears to be one of those ‘you couldn’t make it up’ stories. The idea is good in theory, but reporting crime to someones personal mobile is a bit pointless. If anyone reading offers mobile services in Malaysia, you could do no worse than give Police Chief Ku a call. You’ll find his mobile number in the original article.

Incidently the man reporting his house being burgled saw sense and called the proper police number, who sent out a patrol vehicle and caught a suspect in possession of a roll of electrical wire, believed to have been removed from the house. All’s well that ends well..