Wednesday 11 September 2013

Victim: I help fight crime now

Housewife Sarimah Husin could have chosen to be fearful and hunker down in the safety of her house after being a victim of a robbery.

However, the gutsy 50-year-old mother of five has chosen to fight back by joining as a volunteer in Amanita.

“I was overjoyed when a team from the district police headquarters visited my neighbourhood in Sungai Panjang to create awareness on the concept.

“This gives me a chance to play a role in combating crime,” Sarimah told The Star here yesterday.

The “peace-loving women” initiative, under the National Blue Ocean Strategy, started last October by roping in women and housewives in residential areas to be the eyes and ears of the law enforcers.

Since becoming a volunteer last month, Sarimah said she had learned a lot about safety and crime prevention tips from the police.

“I now know how to react when there are suspicious activities,” she said, adding that she hoped that women would make use of the Amanita hotline to report crimes in their neighbourhood.

Another volunteer, Aisyah Mahi­din, 50, said Amanita offered every housewife a chance to play a role in combating crime.

Aisyah, whose husband is a police officer at the Sabak Bernam headquarters, said she understood his duties better now.

“I know why my husband reacts in such a way when there is some crime activity. It’s very disturbing and hard to sleep at night when you know something not right is happening in our community,” said the mother of eight who joined Amanita last month.

The same sentiment is echoed by 56-year-old Musringah Ismon, whose friend was a victim of snatch theft in their village marketplace in Sungai Besar.

Sabak Bernam Corporate Com­munications chief in the Crime Prevention Department Insp Iek Ren Chong, who acts as the district’s ambassador for Amanita, said more initiatives would be introduced to improve volunteers’ skills.

“There will be talks and a self-defence introduction class on Sept 21 for Amanita members,” she said, adding that the event, to be attended by the Inspector-General of Police, would also see between 2,000 and 3,000 women registering as volunteers.

Currently, she said there were more than 100 Amanita members in the district.
 
TheStar

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