PETALING JAYA: It is easy to look the other way when a crime is in progress. After all, self-preservation is built into our system.
However, Joe Singh is unlike the rest of us. He goes after criminals and apprehends them. One could call him a “policeman without a badge or uniform”.
But Joe did not start out crime-fighting, although he did eventually enlist in the police volunteer force.
Personal experience with criminals, he said, was what drove him into assuming the mantle of leadership of a volunteer crime-fighting and crime-prevention group that has lasted two decades.
His first encounter with criminals was in 1997 when his mother-in-law fell victim to snatch thieves twice within six months.
“After the first incident, we told her not to worry. We even bought her a gold chain to replace the one she lost,” he told theSun recently.
“But after the second incident, we got worried. I feared for her safety and that of my family. I felt something had to be done to address the problem,” said the Subang Jaya resident.
Joe said he realised that the police did not have enough resources, so the people should have a role in curbing criminal activities.
He said that at the time when his mother-in-law was set upon by snatch thieves, there was an influx of students to the many new colleges in Subang Jaya.
He believed these students became easy pickings for the snatch thieves. As a result, incidence of criminal activities spiked.
He felt he had to do something, and decided to act on it when his wife also fell prey to a snatch thief the following year.
“My wife was with me in the car when the man snatched her handbag. I chased the thief and caught him.”
The increase in criminal activities eventually led to the formation of the Subang Jaya Residents Association, with a proposal for the crime-fighting team to be led by Joe.
“My experience as a police volunteer was probably the reason for the decision.”
However, the team was hardly muscles-and-brawn. It comprised mostly senior citizens and a few women, but they gamely took on the role as the eyes and ears of the police.
It was then left to Joe to go into action.
The first thing he did was to buy a big motorcycle so he could chase after criminals. “They are known to use stolen motorbikes,” he said.
His modus operandi was simple. Once he got a tip-off, he would head for the location and stop suspicious characters on motorcycles with broken or blacked-out number plates.
He would then make a citizen’s arrest and call the police.
Joe said that thanks to his team, the crime rate in Subang Jaya had dipped and residents could now move freely without fear.
But success comes at a heavy price.
“I have been assaulted several times. My car has been damaged. I have fallen off my motorcycle while chasing them.”
He has also been hospitalised once after falling into a monsoon drain while taking down an offender.
But he does not let these incidents deter him.
He attributes his success to his big build, but he believes that courage also plays a role.
In the last 20 years, he has managed to nab more than 60 criminals, recovered 28 motorcycles and helped police recover six stolen cars.
“I know my life is at risk and my family worries constantly. But the safety of the neighbourhood is important and we cannot rely on the police all the time.
“We must be proactive,” he added.
