Shell Petrol Station Dealers Meet Subang Jaya OCPD

Sunday, 2 August 2009

Shell Petrol Station Dealers Meet Subang Jaya OCPD

Alarm bells ringing over rising crime

Closed circuit cameras (CCTV) which focus only on the cash register and silent alarms which are not linked directly to the police stations are some of the main causes why the police have been unable to nab robbers who target petrol stations in Subang Jaya.
Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Zainal Rashid said CCTVs installed at petrol stations only focused on the cash register and often did not cover the general area of a station.
“All we see are hands at the cash register when we check the footage after a crime has been committed. Some CCTVs are not even recording,” he said during a dialogue between the police and Shell petrol station operators last Friday.
More than 30 Shell petrol station operators in Subang Jaya met up with Zainal and his team to raise their concern over rising crime which has affected their business.
Zainal said silent alarms at many petrol stations were linked to the company providing the service and in most cases, were not linked up with the police station.
“Response time depends on how fast the service provider informs the police when a crime is committed,” he added.
He told the group that from January till July, about 33 robbery cases had taken place in the Subang Jaya district affecting all petrol stations including Shell, Petronas, Esso, Mobil and BHP.
“The suspects are mostly Malays on motorcycles armed with parangs, knives or hammers.”
“The modus operandi is the same. Many strike at the wee hours of the morning,” he added.
He advised petrol station owners to reduce the amount of cash at the station at any one time.
In March, a petrol station located along the Kesas Highway was robbed of RM40,000.
“Call us if you see any suspicious characters around your petrol station. Petrol stations are being targeted.”
“Be more alert especially since Hari Raya is coming,” he said.
The group was led by Shell (M) Trading national sales manager Azman Ismail.