Robberies

My neighbourhood idiot, Jeff, is not happy. The story goes like this. Over the last few months, more and more residents have dropped out of the private security scheme - that is, they are no longer paying their dues. Of course, he residents are fed-up with all the failed projects that they had no say but had to pay for the damn thing. This included CCTV (which does not work) and closure of roads to the point it annoys everyone.

Jeff, as usual is going about his fear-mongering. He event went as far as to say that the guards will do nothing if they see a non-paying (non-participating) resident's house get rob/broken into. Jeff being Jeff, he only sells fear, condemning the non-paying residents. He never tells of the benefits of the paying residents.

Sadly, a good number of robberies happened. This unfortunately included paying residents. Let's get real. You think the bloody robbers will care if you pay for security or not? No. They do not care. If they see you as a target, they will rob you. Plain and simple.

Equally sad is to note that the community security scheme is failing a part, and as I have said years ago - it is ineffective.

Some facts about those who got rob as recent as 30 days ago:

• Appears to be committed by a gang of three or four men; driving a Alphard.
• One of the men (Malay / Indon looking) has a gun and handcuffs. He waves them around to imply he is a police officer (which is how he got into the gated community) - but never identifies himself as a police officer.
• One of the victims withdrew about RM 5000 from the bank earlier (many hours ago but within the same day). It appears that they do "tag" their victims.
• One victim was right next to the guard house. Guards did not know. I do not blame them.
• Waits for victims to leave the house for work in the morning or returns from work in the evening. Attacks when victim opens the main gate.
• In another case, victim goes out at night (about 8 to 9pm) to hang out / bring in the laundry. Robbers attacked and gains easy entry to the house.
• Most houses have walled fences (not the usual chain-linked). It is best to keep good visibility from the road to house. Privacy may be an issue but lets face it - how often do we have intimate moments in the garden?

It is at best troubling to have to blog about such things. Life must go on. We must stay on our guards and keep an eye out for each other. As I have stated, the above were robberies. Chances are, it is not random crime. They would have surveyed the place, look out for targets.

So, if we see anyone suspicious - inform the community, inform the guards, turn on more lights (show that we re-act) and yes - make a police report. Don't just bloody tell them - make a report. If the police stats begin to look bad, they will begin to act.

How much is enough

Some people say, I don't want my house to look like a jail with locks and grills. Well, please start thinking like a thief. Say, I want to rob something? Who do I rob? Surely, the richer the better. And, it has to be low security too. The lower the security, the better.

So, if you don't want your house to be a jail house, please don't deco it like a palace. Be modest la. If you want to flaunt your wealth - please have some security. Unless of course you happen to the the local Ah Long or a gang member.

How much is enough? Easy - make it about 8% to 10% of your budget for renovation and furnishing. Although that's the budget - remember - it is best to be safe and secure by design.

Security Aspects to consider when renovating

When you get a new house, please don't only worry about what colour the tiles will be and extending the kitchen. Sure, we all want it to look good, but at the same time - make it safe and secure. Standard security isn't any good - because the security market in Malaysia is basically a cowboy market. The best price wins. I leave it to your imagination on what that would be.

In any case, here are some points to consider - mind you, these ideas are real cheap:

1. Use solid timber doors (about RM 300 each) for front and back doors.
2. Install quality lock sets - use a 5 lever mortice dead lock.
3. Install grills on the outside. The idea is, put vibration sensors on the grills. When they attack the grills, the alarm will sound. It will still take them at least 10 minutes before they can break the wooden door. I have seen some houses with security doors only - no grill. The thing is, when the door is attacked, the alarm will only sound when the door is opened. This means, when the alarm sounds - the intruders are already inside!
4. Install smoke detectors - one on each floor. Just outside the bedroom, near the stairs is a good place. It's only RM 60 for two at Ace Hardware.
   
5. Build in a hook where the stove is. Chain and padlock the gas cylinders to this hook. This is to prevent intruders from using your gas cylinders to break your room doors (when you are in the room!). Typically, this should cost no more than RM 10.
   
6. Fit a fire extinguisher in the store room (RM120 at most).
7. Even if you do not want a alarm system, put in the wiring. Wiring is about RM 30 per 100 meters. You might need only three rolls.
8. Select which lights you wish to have timers on. Use a high quality timer (Hager) which is about RM 100. Better still, use a light sensor switch. It's only RM 40 plus - you never have to adjust the time. Select which lights you want to turn on when dark. Turn on outside lights, especially the back of the house and porch.
9. Install a low wattage, energy saving light bulb for the back door and the front door. (Light case can be as cheap as RM 20 each, RM 8 for light bulbs from Houz Depo). These are the ones that should be linked to a timer or light sensor.
   
10. Install wiring for autogate. Use armoured-cable - which is only about RM 20 per meter (Jalan Pasar).
11. Locate a spot for your alarm panel, phone line termination and DSL (internet) router. Terminate all the wiring here, and in the future, you can link your alarm system to the internet.
12. Install at least two emergency lights. It is about RM 80 each. In the event of a black-out, (disasters like earth quake - or in Malaysia landslides, or even a fire) you can still see where to go. Make sure one of them is at the electrical distribution box - you can still see where to turn on the mains should the ELCB trip during lightning.
    
13. If you plan to have a safe - start designing a hiding place for it. Ensure it is bolted to the floor. In any case, I do not advise a safe at home. Fire resistant cabinets for valuable documents will suffice.
14. If you intend to employ a maid - consider a maid-friendly design. That is a door between the kitchen, wash area and the maid's room to the rest of the house. In other words, the maid can access the kitchen, wash area and go out by the back door. That's it. Why? Without this extra door, she can always let in her boyfriend and gangbang buddies when you are asleep. An extra door - could be as low as RM 300; and RM 200 for the mortice dead lock (or a Union Night Lock).
    

So, looking these basic items, what's the total cost. Without a safe an a alarm system - these safety and security items cost less than RM 500 (I assume you already have the wooden doors). Even with the doors and the alarm system (typically RM 2500 when wiring is done) - it would be still below RM 5000. Of course, if you want a safe and the maid, it will cost a bit more.

Yet - fellow citizens find it hard to justify the RM 5000. But, the LCD TV is a must, Astro has to be there, change tiles, air-cond here, air-cond there, down lights, paint house... all will be included. Some will even put in a fish pond. Most people budget between RM 50,000 to RM100,000 for renovation plus furnishing. So, why not 10% of the budget into safety and security?

All I can say is this - I have heard of too many cases of break-ins. After it happens, the owner will pay anything for security. But the really sad part it, usually the wives will be terrified of knowing someone has been into the house, and she would be badly traumatized. Shifting to a new house isn't exactly a great option.

Security That Works

Cannot remember if I posted this or not, but I have my own house now on the edges of Shah Alam. By design, it is fenced, but ungated nor guarded. There are about 100 houses or so in this small community.

Setting up security was a need. Four months ago, house break-ins were rampant. My neighbour lost his BMW. They broke into his house, took the keys and drove away the car. I am unsure if the insurance will even pay for the missing car.

Our system here is real different. Firstly, all we do is to appoint a security firm and pay them. That's all we do. Security labels for cars - security firm to provide. Heck, they even have to provide for a boom gate, and paint the gate as well. We do pay a fair bit, RM 80 per household.

But here-in lies the beauty of it. By the beginning of the month, most of us will pay the security guards. Most of us do not even need to be asked to pay. Reason? The guards has been damn effective and I sure hope they will continue to be as effective. Break-ins have dropped to zero. If my house alarm is trigger (always accidentally), they will be outside my house in less than 60 seconds. I suppose that with such good showing, potential criminals are deterred.

Some in the neighbourhood are still renovating. Drilling and hammering keeps triggering the alarms. But the guards do not give up. They will still come around to have a look every time the alarm is triggered. Criminals can no longer trigger alarms until everyone is fed-up then break in.

And yeah, if you must know, the guards must collect the monthly payments from the residents. This gives the residents an opportunity to provide direct feedback to the guards. No third parties. And if they provide bad service, they know they will not be paid.

So, to keep things simple, we have not bothered to form a Resident's Association (RA). We vote with our pockets. That's the best. If we do not like it, do not pay. Since they are doing a good job, we happily pay. This is a simple yet very effective arrangement.

Hide them

When you think someone is coming after your kids, start hiding them. This can be a divorce case, which usually leads to a custody battle. This is only useful when the lawyers are hopeless or someone plays dirty. The 'someone' could be a corrupt judge, overzealous religious officers, criminals or thugs. I would say, stick to the court orders - but that's kind of difficult. So, take these steps before a court order has been issued on the custody of the child. In short - if you want to hide your kids even if the court orders you to surrender them to the other party - do it at your own risk. This article is also useful to make kidnapping more difficult.

Rule 1: Don't bother to pay lawyers too much to fight your case. Some of them are just blood suckers that will clean you and your ex-partner up. You might get a million bucks from your ex husband, but the lawyer's bill will be 1.2 million. You get the picture.

Rule 2: Time to wise up. Cholp Chop. Get moving!

The rest is just what to do for Rule 2. As a start, please remove all pictures of your kids from the internet - be it facebook or whatever. The latest trend is to post pictures of kids online. Damn stupid move. My parents didn't even allow strangers to take our photos. Why? With a photo, it makes kidnapping a hell a lot easier. It is damn difficult to kidnap a specific target when you do not have a clue how the person looks like. So, please remove all the photos, including those taken by friend and relatives that are posted online.

Next, take the latest photos. Photograph your kids - front and side view. Note their height, weight and birth-marks. These are for the 'recovery' team, in case they are kidnapped. At least if you want the police to look for them, you can show the police their' latest photos.You can use a private dick...that's private detective. But you will need photos. Keep two copies. One with you. One with your friend.

Have a secret friend. Choose a good friend that you can TRUST and is RELIABLE. This friend will be your 'check fail' alert. Tell this friend what is happening. Give this friend your emergency contact numbers, next of kin, your photos, your "mark's"photo, details of your "mark", photos of your kids and other pertinent information. This friend will be your escrow. You can choose more than one check-fail friend. No one must know who this check-fail friend is. No one must suspect or easily guess who this person is. The reason is unveiled in the next paragraph.

How the check fail will work is - your friend must receive a call or an SMS from you periodically. It can be on a daily basis. If he or she does not hear from you, this person will take a list of pre-planned action - like going to the police, inform your next-of-kin. Or if the check-fail friend knows you have been harmed, immediately make public of the "mark"'s secrets. When someone else knows the mark's secret, the mark will think twice before doing something stupid to you. Do NOT store the real name of your check fail friend on your phone. Give your check fail friend a new phone. Your check fail friend cannot be revealed easily. So, have the phone registered in your name, but held by your friend. Put in a dummy name in the phone's address book.

Who is the "mark"? The "mark" would be the bad guy. Don't ask me why I chose that term. Someone else must know the "mark" and all of the "mark's" dirtiest secrets.

Also, set up a duress system. If you use a phrase like " I want to screw tonite " or "HI, it's Janice here" - when you have informed your check-fail that if you use the name "Janice", it means you are in duress. You are forced to call your check fail. Again, have a prepared list of action. Like going to the police, or taking the kids away.

Now, go apply for passports for the kids. When you have the passports, the mark cannot apply for another set of passports easily. Immigration would give the mark a hard time. Even if the mark reports them missing, there is a long waiting period and even more restrictions. So, ensure that your kids have passports. You will need their birth certificates.

Assuming that the passports are done, you need to secure them. Put the passports in a secure location - perhaps a bank or with your mark. A bank is very secure. But if you need to take the kids out of the country fast, you might have to wait till the bank re-opens - especially on a weekend. So, the best is to keep it secured with your check-fail friend. It must be locked. Best is to have them in a fire resistant safe. The safe must be concealed - don't let anyone know you have a safe. Use a safe that is key operated. Forget the combination lock. It will be shit to open when you panic.

Now, keep a copy of your kids' photos and important information with the passports / check-fail friend. By now, you should know why this is required.

Also, make sure that your kids' birth certificates are kept in a bank. You won't need them urgently. Birth certificates are the kids' ID. If you have them, you have better 'possession' of your kids. Lock it up in a bank's safe custody box. Why? If the mark catches you, the mark cannot put you at gun-point or knife-point to handover the documents. That's difficult. You need to walk into the bank. Make sure your check-fail friend knows which bank and best if your friend can have access to the box. Banks allow two signatories. A good bank would be OUB in PJ. Use a bank that you do NOT normally go to. The mark must not suspect where the bank it. It makes it more difficult for him. Else, he can bloody bribe the bank manager and you are screwed.

And please don't give me the bullshit that the bank is far away, and you prefer something in your neighborhood. Remember. The mark is your husband or wife / ex. The mark has been very intimate with you. Fucked you, got two kids with you. The mark knows you. You have to now change the way you behave and your habits. Remember this at all times.

Change all the locks in your house. Change your car keys. Install an alarm system. If you already have one, change the PIN numbers of your alarm system. Change the autogate's PIN / code-decode number. Changing locks are expensive, and the rest is pretty much free. Use better locks, such as Yale. Please don't use Sonnex or some unknown locks. Locks by ASSA ABLOY are pretty good. Yale is one of them. Use those. Ensure that your check-fail friend has access to your house - in the event of an emergency. If you can, chance your car. Have another mobile number. Use the new mobile number. However, do NOT terminate the old number - else the mark will be suspicious. Keep your mark comfy. And please do not rely on your dog to keep you safe - especially when your dog knows your mark well. Keep a new dog if you have to.

Set up a new bank account - one that is in you name only at a bank you do not normally use. If the court orders your accounts to be frozen, at least you have something stashed away. Get one or two new credit cards. Better still, have an overseas bank account. It is damn easy to start an account in Singapore. Stash some money there. Have an account with a Visa or Master Debit Card. You will be able to access your funds worldwide. Set up the account with internet access. Also, ask the bank to provide you with the SWIFT Code. You need the code to transfer money / wire money into the account. It would take time before a Malaysian Court order is enforced in Singapore. By the way, if you are really planning to leave Malaysia for good, you can max out your Malaysian credit cards when you are away and forget about them. But that's only if you want to be away for long term.

The kids. Make sure you brief them that they are only to see you. If I were you, move them to a new school immediately. Do NOT let they stay with your parents. It is fucking convenient and free to have your parents as baby sitters, but your mark knows how to get to them. So, screw that idea. Move them to another district - if you are in PJ, consider Cheras. Better if it is a place your mark is not familiar with. If your mark has gang connections, the gangs won't be able to work well out of their territory. That's why is so damn important to chose somewhere your mark is not familiar with.

Babysitters or a proper tadika is a good choice to keep your kids. Why? They issue receipts. Receipts are useful in courts. When the courts hear your case 3 years later, you can bloody prove that you have been taking care of your kids. Your mark didn't contribute anything. You cannot prove that easily if your parents were babysitting them - or worse still, when your parents are no longer around to give evidence. That's a bad situation to be in. Sure, it can cost more, but there are always cheaper play-schools or babysitters out there. Keep the receipts.

Australia and Thailand are a good choice for running away. Why? Malaysian Court orders are not recognized in those countries. I may be wrong, but I think there is no extradition treaty with Thailand and Australia. So, be prepared to go to those countries. Singapore is a good transit point. You don't need a visa to get there. It is a safe country. Hide somewhere.

The worst case scenario would be to skip the country. Be prepared to do this. I am no expert here, but you can start thinking. Pack up your documents and be prepared to be on-the-go. Or at least store them somewhere - in a bank - and your friend can collect and send them to you. Identify highways and escape routes. Know who to call in case of emergency. Do note - you only have to skip the country until your kids are 18 (or 21). By then, they are adults and they are free!

Some tips on how to slow down your mark, in case of emergency. For example - when you know your mark is about to make a serious move - do some nasty stuff on him or her. If you have a joint bank account, empty it. Report cheques have been misplaced. Cancel his credit cards - or help him report them stolen. This is only possible if you know the card details. Cancel his phone line, or report SIM card has been stolen. Stuff like this. Make it difficult, but try not to break any laws.

Always remember to love your kids. They are victims too. Don't take it out on them. If you cannot manage, call some NGO, or write to me. I am unsure if I can help, but I would listen.

Custody battles are always ugly - usually made worse by overzealous "religious" officers. On top of that, justice is cheap in Malaysia. That's sad and that's why I am posting this entry.

When Justice is For Sale - at a discount!

H got a call recently. It was a weird situation. Her female friend, married with two kids - was asked to signed some divorce papers by the husband. This couple has marital issues for some time. Allegedly, the husband now wants to marry a Muslim lady. Thus, the man now has to convert to be a Muslim. Naturally, his father disowned him. Father is rich - and this is the important point of the whole story. The man is a lazy bum, allegedly. The father loves the two kids (the grandchildren).

The weird part now begins. The lady (H's friend), wants to know a good lawyer who can help her. News has it, her husband wants the two kids. The lady reckons that in Boleh Land, the Muslims will take her kids away and she will not be heard fairly in court. In the mean time, life goes on as usual for her.

Why strange? Try giving a dog a piece of bone. What will it do? It will take the bone, go somewhere and eat it. Especially when another dog is around. It will hide and eat the bone. What I am trying to say is, if you know someone wants to take the kids away, why the fuck would life be as usual? She has to be dumb and think that lawyers can solve everything. That's true - if you have VK Lingam.

But I am sure a great guy like VK Lingam won't be cheap. She won't even be able to afford a decent lawyer. Some lawyers quoted her RM 5000 and she doesn't want to pay up. Don't blame her. They are no VK Lingam.

Back to the story - she is still trying to find a lawyer. Kids are with her mother.

Let me get this right. This has nothing to do with Islamic law. It is the way law (be it Islamic or Civil) that is implemented in this country that is damn shit worrying. I mean, look - a learned Tun Eusoff Chin ruled that selling stolen property is legal. What the fuck? The stolen land still belongs to the wrongful owner till date. Screwed up right? So, imagine how it is like when they implement their version of Islamic law?

Honestly, I would be damn comfortable if Nik Aziz implemented Islamic law. At least I know he is fair and he is honest. It's just like sports. We don't mind if it is soccer or female volley ball - just ensure that the rules are fair. Under BN - nothing is fair. VK Lingam is not charged. The judiciary was for sale - mind you - for only trips to New Zealand and handphones. Shit. That's kind of a drop off. It's too cheap.

So, I have given H's friend my two cents worth. Screw the legal system - be it the Syariah Court or the Civil Courts. I don't know much about the Syariah Courts, but it doesn't look too good in the same light as the Civil Courts. More on that in another posting - and more on what I told H's friend

If it was so good...

Jeff and gang has stated that the gated and guarded, now even fenced up part of our community is doing great. Security works well and there has been no incidences of crime. All in all, he says it is working very well. OK, let's not argue with him on this point.

But, that little bugger now suggests that "CCTV project must be implemented urgently...". What the eff? If everything is working so well, why add in CCTV? That's like wearing wearing three underwear, getting your balls really squeezed. Indeed, Jeff is trying to squeeze all of us for money for his little fantasy.

Real idiot. He appears to be so happy spending money, without the need to account for it. I've yet to see any audited accounts... He could have been the next MCA president...

Idiots on Patrol

After suggesting to the committee here that is a good idea to have joint patrol between the residences and the police to enhance neighbourhood security, the committee has taken up the suggestion.

With one minor problem - the said patrol shall be carried out every Sunday morning at 10am.

This is the part that I go, what the eff. Why have a fixed schedule for patrol? Is there an understanding with the criminals that they will attempt crime only on Sunday morning at 10am to 11am? Fuck it. That's plain dumb. If the patrol is on every Sunday morning, criminals will just avoid our area on Sunday mornings only. Other times are fair game! Patrols must be random for them to be effective.

This is the result of amateurs trying to do a professional's job. I say, leave things to the pros, sit back and watch how it is done.

Security or Safety?

Tough call when it comes to security or safety. Ideally, we want both. Was approached by a salesman recently - to upgrade the tint on my car with a secure tint. Apparently, it is very difficult to break - hence security.

My immediate thought - why happens if there is an accident and I need help? The secure tint might not be good. People might not be able to reach me. Then again, if the Fire Department can cut thru metal, they should not have problems with the tint.

Difficult to say is the tint good, but I am not installing it - but that's more for financial reasons!

Credit Card

Well, in my last post, I did say I like to pay stuff with my credit card. But there is a huge element of fraud. Most people have this irrational fear of fraud.

Firstly, unless we are negligent, fraudulent charges are usually covered by the bank. If we carelessly give out our card number and details to any Abu, Raju and Ah Choong, then, the banks will make us pay for it. Fair enough. So, just be careful. Report a card missing ASAP, when you notice it.

Next, use a chip-based credit card. Those are one hell lot harder to skim or duplicate. The magnetic stripe only cards are bloody useless. Push your bank to issue chip-based cards.

Lastly- there is this CCV number, the three digit number embossed by laser onto the card body. This is usually on a white space of the plastic card, at the back of the card. Now, what I do is, cover this 3 digits with a sticker. Fraudsters need this 3 digits to make a online transaction. If they remove the sticker, you will know - report it. In any case, chances are - they rather remember the credit card details of another card without the sticker. Sometimes, close enough is just good enough - a silly sticker will make them want to fraud another card.

Unlawful Behaviour

An update on the latest on our guarded and gated (illegally) community. The shops nearby are up in arms against the gating. I am against it too. Guess what? Among them against the illegal road blockages, is a pub.

Good old Jeff has now threatened the pub owner. If he is against the blockages, Jeff will report to the Jabatan Agama Islam (Islamic Religious Department) that there are Muslims in the pub. What the heck.

Good move by Jeff. You know what? If I were the business owner, I would move out and replace the pub with a undertaker service. All I will do is get a few big ugly coffins and have them displayed prominently in the shops, ala 'open space'. What will these do? It will drive down property prices faster than anything else. Hopeless fengshui. Imagine waking up to a bunch of dead wood, so to speak. Businesses could reply with other solutions equally nasty, including but not limited to a snooker centre, a massage parlour (read illegal prostitution), some lousy gaming centres or just empty shop lots. Either way, it will attract the wrong crowd.

Moral of the story - the shops are part of our community. To be fair, these shops here have been good neighbours. They've never caused trouble. So, why the eff barricade the roads and potentially affect business?

Designed for Security, Not

There are two houses near my place, just complete their renovation. Every time I drive past, I look at it in awe. The renovation work is not too bad actually, but my mind boggles. The first house, has a new gate installed. The gate design? Square frame with horizontal bars spaced about 20cm a part. What the eff? Hey! It looks like a bloody ladder to me.

How on earth can someone come up with such a design. I mean, sure, you can love Jeff for his ideas of a gated community (refer to previous posts), but this is a new 'high'. The other house, has the same darn design as their fence. Horizontal metal bars, placed like a ladder, looks like a ladder, but it is not a ladder. But it darn well functions as one.

So, people, please ...unless this is a new trend, please think and design properly. No idea if it is the home owner's bright spark or were they taken for a ride. Either way, the mind boggles.

The "Secret"

Notice anything odd on some people's Facebook or MySpace sites? See if you observe this - most females do not want to display their age. They will only disclose the day and month of birth. No year. As such, it is difficult to guess someone's true age. Photos may not do justice.

Look carefully. Most of these profiles will also have information such as "SMK Puteri 2000" or "University Malaya 2002". Well well. With this new information, all of a sudden, the age can be calculated immediately. People usually get their degrees, without honours, at about the age of 21 or 22. Completion of high school, or SPM in Malaysia, would be at the age of 17 or 18. Too easy.

The moral of the story - always be careful with what we disclose. Never tell too much. Or worse still, unwillingly let others know too much!

Alarms

Home alarm systems are key to preventing crime. They will be the first system to alert you if anything goes wrong. However, it is only good if it is turned on. So, if you have one, please turn it on. It doesn't cost extra. Turn it on when you are out of the house, when you go to bed or when you have no intention of going out of the house for the next couple of hours - e.g. when you are having a romantic time in bed with your gf.

To select an alarm system is difficult. Chubb Malaysia used to provide some good ones, but rumors have it that they are no longer that good. The house alarm industry is a cowboy industry. Prices are cut, quality takes a dip. Bad systems are useless. They will have so many false alarm - crying wolf all the time, you just give it up. Criminals know that too!

Some critical success factors for home alarm systems:

1. When it comes to wiring, make darn sure the wire between the panel to the sensor is one piece. Never allow the contractor to join wires. Imagine, after plastering the wires inside the walls, the joining breaks. You will have a hell time finding the fault and fixing it. Wiring is the most critical. If the panel is bad, change it - it is easy. If the sensors are bad, have them replaced. But you don't want to re-do the whole damn wiring.
   
   
2. Ensure each cable is properly labelled. Else, no one knows what goes where after a year.
   
   
3. Better still, have the wiring inside a plastic conduit, or pipe. This is very expensive, but can be worth it.
   
   
4. There are motion detectors, or infra red sensors. Use them only for the roof / ceiling. For fuck-sake, please do not put it in the kitchen or living room. It will trigger tonnes of false alarm. You may also wish to turn on the alarm when you are cooking. No harm!
   
   
5. Most suppliers no longer provide good vibration sensors because they are very expensive. Look for one that does. Vibration sensors are good to protect windows, especially when the sensors are installed on grills. Any knocking or drilling will set them off. This way, you can leave the windows open for fresh air - but please shut them if no one is at home.
   
   
6. Ensure that the magnetic switches installed on doors are good. How to tell a good sensor? Quality ones will usually have CE, FCC or even UL approval. CE is a standard mainly for safety and emission of RF noise in Europe. FCC would be emission of RF noise for USA. UL would be the safety standard for USA. You get the idea. A sensor without any compliance to standards cannot be good!
   
   
7. Check if the main panel itself has any certification / compliance to standards.
   
   
8. System should have one internal and one external siren; and one external strobe light. For the sirens, have a switch - inside the panel. If you are at home, at night, you may not wish to have the internal siren on (but leave the external siren on) and scare the daylights out of you if it goes off. Similarly, if you are away for a long period of time - say a week, turn the external siren off but leave the internal siren on. Don't bugger your neighbour's Chinese New Year, for example.
   
   
9. Ensure that the system has two panic buttons. Press it, alarm should go off. One in the master bedroom, the other in the kitchen is usually good. Same goes for the keypad - there should be two. Panic button can be and should be located away from the keypads. Keypads themselves should have a panic button. The panic button should have a key - that is, once activated, you need a key to deactivate it.
   
   
10. Alarms usually have CMS feature - that is, it calls a Central Monitoring System if something happens. If you do not subscribe to CMS (since most of them is bullshit anyway), have the panel programmed to call you handphone instead. So, if there is no one home and your house calls you, at least you have a clue what has happened. You can then alert your local guards. That's what the guards are for, not for doing sentry duty and looking at cars driving in and out.
    
    
11. When the system is designed, think like a criminal. Where would you break in? How? Then, secure those areas with sensors.

Another very important note. If your alarms, car or house, keeps going off without rhyme or reason - be on the alert. You could be already targetted. Criminals are known to trigger the alarm off - e.g., kick your car to cause it to vibrate - some cars can sense vibration. They keep doing it until you are fed-up and turn off the alarm. Never ever turn off the alarm!

Let me know if you have any other suggestions. I am rather sure I have missed out one or two critical items.

Lights

Oh boy. Spending the whole night blogging isn't doing much good to my beauty sleep. Hope I am not to tired when I meet H later. That would be a waste.

Visibility is a key factor in crime prevention. It's a fact that turning on lights at night prevents crime. It is cheap, yet very effective.

But, there's something you must remember - do not give the criminals any information. For example, if you only turn on the lights when no one is at home, that's a dead give away. So, do turn on the same lights even if you are at home. Worried about the waste of energy? Install and use a energy saving light bulb. They use less than 10W of power. In Malaysia, if it is 10W, it will be turning it for 100 hours before it will cost RM 0.30 (USD 0.08). It's a bargain.

When you leave the house, remember to deliberately leave one room light on, or the kitchen lights on. Give the impression that there is someone inside the house.

Hope it helps. And if you must know, yes, I do it.

Show of Force

OK. Back to the problem of Jeff. Besides providing proper toilets, what else is a more effective use of guards? The first is, carry out a show of force. This was successfully carried out by British soldiers in Somalia. Every morning, they would put a good show - marching, fire some shots and fire some big guns into the sea. Make hell a lot of noise. And it was effective. Prison guards do that. FRU (Federal Reserve Unit - the Malaysian anti-riot police) do that. They do? Yes - they march by stomping their boots. Beat their shields with their batons. Shout when they march.

So, if you have guards, do the same. Make them march. Do a roll call every morning. Get the police to show up occasionally during such 'parades'. Frankly, it is just a physiological thingy. I am not advocating for an armed force of private guards.

Residents can do their own show of force. In UK, they have the Orange Hat Patrol - the Malaysian Rukun Tetangga (RT). RT works well. A group of residents, on schedule, would petrol the place. This shows unity. Think about it - I am sure we all know. When driving through a kampung, the pre- PLUS highway days, always go slow. If you happen to accidentally run-over a chicken, do not stop. Why? Because we all 'fear' that the united kampung folks will beat us up.

In reality, the same 'fear' can be used against criminals. The community needs to be united. That's the key. Show them that we are united. That's why you never hear of crimes in kampungs. True - criminals caught will be bashed up. I do not advocate vigilantism. But facts are facts. So, we need to do it in urban areas - that is be united, not bashing up people.

Start a RT - and patrol in bright orange hats. Why the orange hats? It is some kind of uniform and yes, it is highly visible. You want to be seen at night, for safety.

Another method - imagine the scene if at night, everyone turns on the light - odd numbered houses with their front lights on, even numbered houses lighting up the backlanes. That would be a sight to behold. Residence uniting and that's a good show of force. The message will be - try and you will be sorry. Right now, the one or two guards does patrol in this area, but since most areas are pitch black, I am unsure if the guards are equiped with night vision for the task. Oops - another idea for Jeff to spend more money.

Another very simple show of force - how do we interact as neighbours. If everyone knows everyone, greets each other, talks to each other - that means we are united. It sends the same message. Trust me, the criminals would be watching.

Isn't this better than a few oil drums and residences are seen fighting with each other? Show of force, either by guards or residences, are perfectly legal (blockin up public roads are not) and guess what - "Hello. How do you do?" is free. Time to love thy neighbour - no, no, not in the 'hamsap' sense.

Under Attack!

The worst that can happen is someone breaking in when you or your family is at home. This is especially so when they are foreigners / illegal immigrants. Or some violent psycho.

But should that happen, and if you deem it safe - the first thing you do is to sound the home alarm system, if you have one. Also, press the panic button for your car alarm. Let your cars make as much noise as possible. Turn on all the lights. Call the police. Call your neighbours. Shout for help. Lock yourself in a room - it helps if your room has a solid door.

I sure hope it never comes to this. The house has many weapons. Putting toilet cleaner and splashing it on someone can lead to blindness. Your usual aerosol spray - such as the trusted Shieldtox - is a good flame thrower. Light up the spray with a lighter (careful! It can burn you.) and it will throw out flames. Will it explode? No. The flames will not go back into the can and cause it to explode. There is little to no oxygen inside the can - thus, it cannot burn and explode. Don't overheat the can though - that will cause it to explode! And please note - it only works on the NON water based type. If it is water-based, it won't burn. Please note.

Something to note - even if you lock yourself in your room, there is a chance they will force you out by setting the place on fire, for example. The whole idea is, buy yourself enough time for help to arrive. So, if you so wish to, call the fire department as well.

Some of these are dangerous but everything goes when the situation is 'in extremis'.

Another safety note, not related to security - never ever mix bleach (such as Clorox) with other cleaning agent (such as detergent). The reaction can be violent and it releases a lot of clorin gas - which is toxic. A joker of my friend made that mistake when he was cleaning the loo. Bugger. Not to worry, he lived to tell the tale.

How to use your Autogate

I am aghast to see how some people use their autogates, i.e. - gates with remote control. Scary stuff that I've seen include: Gates wide open while some occupants are still getting into the car. Another scenario : car stops to open gate, kid jumps out of the car, gate opens, car drives in, mum gets out of car, yells at kid to get it, kid gets into the house compound, gate closes.

In the two scenarios above, there is ample time and opportunity for kidnap or robbery to happen. Why the eff let your kid jump out before the gates open? Someone could have made a grab for the kid. Why open the gates before you get into the car? Sounds silly too. But trust me, I see it every day when I drive to work.

I am unsure if mine SOP for autogate is the best, but here's something that sounds logical enough. To leave the house, I do the following:

1. Get into car.


2. Lock doors.


3. Start car.


4. Open autogate, drive out.


5. Ensure gate is closed properly before driving away.
   

When returning home, it is pretty much the opposite.

1. Drive in


2. Close gate


3. Turn of engine - ONLY after the gates have locked / closed.


4. Unlock car doors, and get out of car.
   

If, just if, anyone decides to rush in while the gates are opening, I will not hesitate to run him or her over. That's why I have my car ready to go when the gate is open. If someone rushes in, another good idea is to sound the horn. Make as much noise as possible. If so required, run him or her over. If their vehicle is in the way, too bad... reverse into it. Reverse gears have great gear ratio to push away obstacles.

You know, every so often, innocent people get run over in the driveway. Accidents do happen. Hint hint. Self defense is the great reason, especially if the guy or gal is wielding a baseball bat or a parang knife.

Drive safe. Learn how to use your autogate properly. If anyone has a better SOP, feel free to suggest. Hope this post can help make you just that little safer.

Cooking...

OK, the title is deceiving, but here's a little (ok ok... maybe more than one) advice.

If you have a gas cylinder / gas tank in the kitchen, for cooking use, my suggestion is chain it. Lock it. Make sure it cannot leave your kitchen easily. I hear you ask... what the eff for. Good question.

For burglars, it is now SOP (standard operating procedure) to break-in with minimum tools. They could be cost cutting too. Usually, one bugger will break-in via a window, toilet windows are good candidates. Once inside, he will make his way to the kitchen, if so required. Yup, if he has to breakdown a door, he will use the gas cylinder as a battering ram. It is ideal. It is heavy, but one man can handle it. It is very tough and yeah, every house (more or less) has at least one.

What doors might he breakdown? Well, at night, you pretty daughter could be asleep alone in her room, with the wooden, usually ply-wood door locked. At 3am, or so, someone breaks in, do you want them to see your daughter / wife (or maybe even a guy - they could be gay)? Your room door, in short, would be the last defence. So, don't provide the burlars with a free battering ram. Lock up your gas cylinders. Chain them. Secure the chain to an anchor / bolted down to the wall. Or chain up a few cylinders together. You should get the point now.

Yeah, if you can afford it, change the bloody ply-wood room doors to solid doors. As I've said, that's the last defence. Solid doors are better barrier against fire too. Think about it. Instead of paying some Bangla guards for half-baked gated community, we must take the initiative first.

PS: I sure hope this article doesn't educate some to-be thieves. But remember, it is a double edged sword. If you need to break down a door, for legit reasons - you know where to get a ram. Say, if your neighbour's house is on fire and you need to rescue his pet dog, use the gas cylinder to break the door, but don't leave the cylinder near the fire! You are duly warned!

Sitting Duck

One problem with amateurs like Jeff trying to come up with security policy is, they really have no clue what they are doing. In this aspect, Jeff is not alone. As they say, there are no shortage of idiots. What amazes me is, idiots refuse to listen to people with more experience. Trust me, I have try to do my part by posting on the community blog, but Jeff just censors them.

It is very common for cars to have "stickers" put on their windscreen. Stickers could be from their work place, some place for parking (such as season parking), their homes, their condominium or even some clubs, like golf clubs. The "stickers" are meant for the guards to allow these car some privileges, such as to enter a gated community.

That is all fine and well for the simple minded, but think about this for one moment. Just a moment. Do you want to tell everyone where you live? Hmmm. I am sure most of us would put up the sticker without even thinking twice. Nible2 has one, but I only put it up when I drive to work. Hell, I remove it when I wanna go to a club for a wild time.

Aha. Alarm bells ringing already? Good. It should be. If you go to a club, do a one night stand, do you really want the gal to know where you stay (more or less) or exactly where you work? Or what if you buy a huge plasma TV and Mid Valley and you load it in your car. Do you want to know tell everyone where this rich chap is staying? I do not think so. Or what if, you know government secrets? Or important trade secrets? Do you want to tell people you know it? Someone might plan to kidnap you or your family members. You know, as they say, some secrets are worth dying for... of course, the kidnappers don't plan to die. Just just plan to kill someone else until they get it. Even after they get it, they might kill someone to get rid of evidence.

What if you are a pretty gal, shopping in 1Utama. Some sickos decide to kidnap you or have his twisted ways with you? All of a sudden, just by looking at your car, they know where you stay, more or less. Or what if the mean guy in a SUV didn't like the way you changed lane along Federal Highway? You wanna let him know where you spend your time?

In short, there are many reasons and even more motive for someone to want to find out where you stay and work. So, why the eff advertise it on your car? Cannot narrow down to where you stay? Bullshit. Gated communities have very few entrance / exits, simple to reduce the cost of guarding them. This forces everyone to be routine. Routine - or being predictable - means you fall prey. All predator has to do is, wait for you right outside you guarded gates... and see where you call home.

Bet you never even thought what those car stickers can do. They can do you in big time. One can easily be a target for rapist, kidnap, espionage, or makes a hitman's life hell a lot easier. But what a layman overnight turned expert like Jeff know? Bet you he has never done any covert operations before.

The alternative...? Oh yes, if it must be gated, give the residence a RFID, long range, card. Card must not have any printing / identification marks. And to the very careful (some say paranoid), when not in use, this card should be kept in a shielded (metal, aluminium foil), envolope to prevent skimming. But that's another ball game... and trust me... I know the subject only too well!

So, if you have stickers advertising on where one can find you, think about it. Do remove it when you do not need it... Better be damn safe in this insane world.