An uncle of mine was stabbed and robbed this morning, about 50-yards away from home. He survived with a stabbed wound on his waist (which miraculously bypassed all the internal organs), a broken toe and some bruises.
The crime rate in my country is rising in worrying state for the past few years. My cousin’s house was broken into a week before Chinese New Year; a friend was armed robbed in front of her house last year; and now my unfortunate uncle.
These are not rumours or news I heard from somewhere, but real cases happening to people around me. It’s a depressing thought that at least one of my peers will get robbed or stabbed every year… and things are likely to get worse at this rate.
Two decades ago I could leave my front gate opened at 10 pm and felt reasonably safe; but now I have three locks on my front door, steel bars on every windows and an alarm-security system installed at home.
A decade ago a fatal snatched thieving would make it on national headlines… these days it would probably get a few lines in the inside pages if there’s fatality; cases like my uncle’s stabbing won’t be reported at all because these crimes have become a bit too common.
To be fair Malaysia is not the most dangerous place to live in… it’s saddening though, that the once crime-low country is becoming crooks’ heaven at such rapid pace.
