Recently I received a card with a magnetic holder on its back,
with a slogan "Without you, a threat might go unnoticed".
In this card, telephone numbers of the Police, Civil Defence, ISD,
MOH, and a few other emergency related numbers were listed. This
card basically encourages public to be more vigilant and report
any, or all, suspicious activities to the authorities therein
listed.
But let me tell you people in here, what I experienced last year
when I called the Police in Jurong West regarding some suspicious
activities I witnessed.
One afternoon, I noted a man lugging something heavy wrapped in
plastic sheets or the kind of material used for tents, and carrying
it to a vacant land in front of my block next to a small canal. He
walked some distance with the heavy load along the canal, and hid
the large package under and behind a tree near some thick growth of
grass. He then proceeded to cover up as much as possible the
package he placed there, and made his way back out.
Now all that while, I was recording the activity on my digicam,
just in case I need the visual record. I immediately called the
Jurong West police to report what I witnessed, and they said they
will send some officers over to investigate. Half and hour passed,
the man and his truck has long left the scene, and still no
officers or a police car in sight. I called again to check if they
are on their way, and was told they have left and on the scene. I
told the officer I see no police car or officers around the
location as my apartment flat overlooks the location in question.
So after another 10 minutes, a police car finally appears by the
street, but turns in and makes a u-turn and leaves the
locale.
When I called again, an officer said they have been there and saw
that it was a small plastic bag of old clothes. I said it isn't "a
small plastic bag", and that I did not see any officer walking out
to the tree I mentioned nest to the canal. They just brush it off,
and say they don't handle "Illegal Dumping".
Now, tell me, is this "Total Defence"? Or have I carried out my
civic duty in some wrong manner?? I told the officer in charge who
took my call that, since you think that it is "Illegal Dumping",
and that it is not your duty or jurisdiction to seriously take my
report, then lets just hope the package doesn't contain anything of
a serious threat to public - such as materials classifyable as
Biological Weapons. I hung up on him.
It was such a waste of my time and effort, to find out that I
cannot depend or rely on the Police. So, why send the public such a
card when the standard of response is ( for lack of a nice word )
LIKE THAT?
I have one word though - PATHETIC.
