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Rampant car
thefts, robberies and snatch thieves in Subang Jaya and USJ never
fail to spark debate on the forum of
www.usj.com.my. It was in late June 2006, in one of the Forum
threads that a group of active members first suggested the idea of a
mass SMS (Short Message System) to help stem the rising crime rate
in Subang Jaya.
Christopher
Ng (better known to his friends as Orchi) a resident from USJ2
started a personal SMS Alert for this group of concerned forumers
from the e-community. Using his recently acquired Nokia 9300i, Orchi
was able to send out regular Crime Alerts and as you can imagine
within a few weeks the group grew to about 200 strong.
The
effectiveness of Orchi’s Alert System was realised on 20th
July 2006 when a badly damaged Camry, used by the “Camry Gang” was
spotted and recovered by the Police acting on information received
through this support group.
Then again on
3rd August 2006, reacting to information received through
Orchi’s support network, there was a Police pursuit of the “Camry
gang”, culminating in a gang member being wounded by a gunshot and
the subsequent abandoning of their Camry. In their hasty retreat,
important clues were left behind in their abandoned vehicle, which
resulted in the arrest of one of them 8 days later on 10th
August 2006 in Bukit Beruntung.
From this
humble beginning, a group of concerned SJ/USJ residents came
together to start the SJ Alert SMS System.
It is our
hope that in time, this initiative, will expand beyond it's
sphere to encompass not only Crime Reporting but also as a tool to
foster that special Community Spirit in this place we call home. |
